Thunder From Afar
by Through Another's Eyes
Summary: Cherrypaw is an average ThunderClan apprentice until her mother is killed by ShadowClan cats, and a prophecy foretells the deaths of many more cats, unless Cherrypaw can stop the source of the deaths. She sets out on a journey that will change her forever
1. ThunderClan's Cats

**Please R&R! This is my first fanfic story. I hope you like it, and, yeah, it might be a bit fast, but... anyway, enjoy!**

**Clans & Cats in Them:**

**ThunderClan:**

**Leader: **

**Thornstar** - Brown tom with green eyes.

**Deputy: **

**Thrushheart** - Black and white tom with yellow eyes.

**Apprentice:** Branchpaw

**Medicine Cat:**

**Gentlebreeze** - White and ginger she-cat with grey eyes.

**Medicine Cat Apprentice:**

**Breezepaw** - small grey tom, blue eyes.

**Warriors:**

**Daisyflight** - White she-cat, brown eyes.

**Apprentice: **Dovepaw

**Lionleap** - Pale yellow tom with green eyes.

**Apprentice: **Magpiepaw

**Pigeonfeather** - Light grey she-cat, blue eyes.

**Rosefur** - Dark red she-cat, yellow eyes. Mother of Cherrypaw

**Cloudfur** - White and brown she-cat, blue eyes.

**Lightfoot** - Black tom with brown eyes.

**Yellowfire** - Ginger tom with yellow eyes.

**Blueclaw** - Dark grey tom, blue eyes.

**Apprentice:** Rockpaw

**Sunpelt ** - Bright ginger tom with green eyes.

**Apprentice:** Thornpaw

**Tigerstripe **- Dark ginger tom with irregular black stripes running down his flanks, brown eyes.

**Apprentice:** Cherrypaw

**Apprentices:**

**Dovepaw **- Tortoiseshell she-cat, grey eyes.

**Mentor: **Daisyflight

**Magpiepaw **- Identical sister to Dovepaw.

**Mentor: **Lionleap

**Branchpaw** - Brown tom, blue eyes.

**Mentor: **Thrushheart

**Thornpaw** - Brown tom, green eyes. Brother of Branchpaw, and son of Thornstar.

**Mentor: **Sunpelt

**Rockpaw** - Dark grey tom, dark blue eyes.

**Mentor: **Blueclaw

**Cherrypaw** - Dark red she-cat, brown eyes.

**Mentor:** Tigerstripe

**Queens:**

**Lilyflower** - White she-cat with light blue eyes. Is deaf in one ear. Mother of Silverkit, and is Lightfoot's mate.

**Brightshine** - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. Mother of Forestkit, Leafkit, and Dapplekit, and is Thrushheart's mate.

**Kits:**

**Silverkit** - Light grey she-cat with blue eyes.

**Forestkit** - Black tom with blue eyes.

**Leafkit** - Black she-cat with yellow eyes.

**Dapplekit** - Pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

**Elders:**

**Silentwhisper** - A light brown she-cat with grey eyes. Used to be medicine cat

**Bitejaw **- A black, brown, and white tom with green eyes.

**Silverleaf** - A light grey she-cat with blue eyes. Grandmother of Silverkit


	2. Chapter 1: The Unexpected Death

**Yay! The first chapter! Okay, so it's a bit... erm... dark. But it'll lighten up a bit, I promise! Also, my goal is to get at least 2 reviews, and I won't be updating till I do. So, please, R&R!**

**The Unexpected Death**

Cherrypaw yawned widely, and looked out at the camp. She could hear the faint sounds of Leafkit and Silverkit playing together in front of the nursery.

Near the medicine cat den, Gentlebreeze was talking to Thornstar, both cats looked rather worried, and Cherrypaw suspected that it was something about what a dream that Gentlebreeze had had. Gentlebreeze was always worried, and was prepared for everything, be it minor illnesses, or major disasters.

Cherrypaw smiled faintly as she heard Silverkit snarl, "No! _I'm_ Feathertail! You can be Squirrelflight!"

"No! That's unfair, you were Feathertail the last time," Leafkit protested.

"Yeah, but I look more like her!" Silverkit argued.

"As if I look anything like Squirrelflight!" Leafkit snorted derisively.

"Cut it out, you two! If you can't decide, I'm going to be Feathertail," Dapplekit said firmly. Leafkit and Silverkit shuffled their feet, and glared at each other, but nodded reluctantly.

Cherrypaw laughed softly, Dapplekit was always a peace-maker, of sorts. She wondered where Forestkit was. _He must be feeling left out, with all these she-cats,_ Cherrypaw thought to herself. She remembered Forestkit complaining about all the 'stupid she-cats' he had to share the nursery with. Unfortunately for him, he'd just have to deal with it, as there were no more kits expected in ThunderClan for quite awhile.

"Hi, Cherrypaw, do you want to go hunting?" Tigerstripe, Cherrypaw's mentor, padded up.

Cherrypaw fidgeted for a bit, she had been hoping that Magpiepaw might come with her. Magpiepaw was Cherrypaw's best friend, and they did nearly everything together. Cherrypaw sighed, and said, "Where's Magpiepaw?"

Tigerstripe looked uncomfortable, although Cherrypaw couldn't imagine why. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and then meowed, "She went out hunting with Rosefur."

Cherrypaw's face fell, and she felt a slight stirring of anger. Rosefur was her mother, and it was unfair for Magpiepaw to go out hunting with Rosefur, especially when Rosefur hadn't even thought to ask Cherrypaw, her own _daughter_. Then Cherrypaw swallowed, and mewed, "Then I guess I'll go hunting with you."

Tigerstripe nodded approvingly, and lead the way out of the camp, Cherrypaw lagging behind slightly.

It didn't take long for Tigerstripe to sniff out a plump looking mouse, and he dropped smoothly into a hunting crouch. He sprang forward, and bit into the mouse before it could make another move, and he purred triumphantly. Cherrypaw applauded, and looked around for something that she could catch a mouse, too. It was an unspoken challenge between mentor and apprentice to catch as many of the same animal as possible, before they had to head back to camp.

Then, all of a sudden, Tigerstripe froze. His ears pricked forward, and he hissed, "Do you hear that?"

Cherrypaw looked up, puzzled, and strained to hear what her mentor seemed to be hearing, forgetting about the mouse which she'd been hunting. Cherrypaw frowned, and shook her head, "No. I don't hear anything. Why, wha––"

A loud yowl of pain cut across Cherrypaw's words, and she left her sentence unfinished. Cherrypaw and Tigerstripe dashed towards where the yowl had come from, and skidded to a halt as they saw three ShadowClan cats standing over a red-furred she-cat, who was bleeding heavily.

"Rosefur!" Cherrypaw screamed, as she recognized her mother.

The red she-cat looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw her daughter, "Cherrypaw!" she managed to croak out.

Tigerstripe was running angrily towards the ShadowClan cats, snarling, "What have you done, you filthy pieces of foxdung!"

One of the ShadowClan cats looked up, and Cherrypaw recognized the ShadowClan leader, Shadestar. The ShadowClan she-cat glared at Tigerstripe, "Your Clanmate was stealing our prey! She got what she deserved."

Cherrypaw glowered at Shadestar, and then a thought struck Cherrypaw, and she cried, "Where's Magpiepaw?"

Shadestar looked Cherrypaw in the eye, and meowed, "What? You mean that tortoiseshell apprentice? She left to get some more of your puny warriors."

Cherrypaw's fur bristled, nobody dared to call her Clanmates puny and got away with it. With a battle-cry, she launched herself at Shadestar.

Tigerstripe, seeing what Cherrypaw was doing, launched himself at one of the other ShadowClan cats. He raked his claws across the bright ginger tom, and then winced as the tom's claws cut into his flank.

Then Cherrypaw heard a cry out of outrage behind her, and heard Thornstar's voice ring out, "Tigerstripe! Cherrypaw! Get away from them!"

Cherrypaw growled, and jumped unsteadily away from Shadestar. She was surprised at the shock in Thornstar's voice. It was almost as if he didn't want the ShadowClan cats to be attacked. Maybe he didn't know what they had done to Rosefur. But... surely Magpiepaw would have told him?

Thornstar walked up to Shadestar, and stuck his face right in front of her's, "Take your warriors away, now. I won't tolerate you marching in and attacking my warriors."

Shadestar's eyes narrowed, "For your information, it was actually _your_ warrior who was the one that was stealing prey."

Thornstar snarled, "My warriors aren't thieving rogue-like cats, for _your _information. Get out!"

Shadestar signaled to her warriors to leave, and turned away, but not before adding, "I'm not going to forget this, Thornstar."

Thornstar gave her a furious look as Shadestar disappeared into ShadowClan's territory. Then he turned to where Cherrypaw was anxiously leaning over her mother.

"Rosefur! Please, don't go! Please...," Cherrypaw begged her mother. Magpiepaw crept up next to Cherrypaw, and rested her tail on Cherrypaw's shoulder.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Cherrypaw," Magpiepaw murmured guiltily. "It's my fault."

Cherrypaw ignored Magpiepaw, and whispered to Rosefur, "Don't leave me! You can't! You can't... Magpiepaw, go get Gentlebreeze!"

Rosefur sighed quietly, and raised her head slightly, "Don't worry, Cherrypaw. I'm already far past healing. Gentlebreeze knew this would happen... she told me that..."

Cherrypaw's eyes widened, "She _knew_ you would d– be injured? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Gentlebreeze said it was not for you to know...," Rosefur murmured. Then Rosefur's eyes glazed over, and she went limp.

"Rosefur! NO! No...no...," Cherrypaw whimpered.

Thornstar looked on sorrowfully, and whispered, "_One death will be of roses, the next of thorns. The rest will follow, unless the bud learns..._"

Cherrypaw's head whipped up, "What?"

Thornstar shook his head, "Ask Gentlebreeze."

"No, I meant what will the bud learn?" Cherrypaw persisted.

"_To be like the lizard among the ferns_," Gentlebreeze answered, as she hurried towards Cherrypaw. "You're injured."

But Cherrypaw's mind was on other things. The strange words... _One death will be of roses, the next of thorns .The rest will follow, unless the bud learns... to be like the lizard among the ferns._


	3. Chapter 2: The New Apprentice

**Thanks so much to MidnightCat5 [ MidnightCat75 ] for reviewing the 2nd Chapter! I couldn't stick to my resolution not to update till I got 2 reviews, because my fingers were itching to write. Please R&R!**

The New Apprentice

_Cherrypaw, I'm so sorry..._ A voice murmured.

_Huh? Who are you?_ Cherrypaw looked around at the barren landscape that seemed to stretch out endlessly. There wasn't a living creature in sight.

_I'm Rosefur... your mother... I'm so sorry... I should have seen this coming, _The voice continued softly. Cherrypaw could hear a twinge of sadness in the voice.

_Why are you sad? What's wrong? What should you have seen coming? _Cherrypaw asked her mother curiously, and looked around to see where the voice was coming from. Why was her mother here? There was something at the back of Cherrypaw's mind, something that was important...

_I'm over here, Cherrypaw, _Rosefur's voice said quietly. Cherrypaw whirled around and saw the beautiful red she-cat standing right behind her. _I should have warned you... but there is nothing I can do now... not now that I'm in StarClan... _

_Starclan! But... why aren't you talking to Gentlebreeze? She's the one who's supposed to talk to StarClan! _Cherrypaw gasped in astonishment as she remembered what had happened to her mother. How could she have forgotten?

_Gentlebreeze... she has already received a prophecy... but she has misinterpreted it... slightly... the last part of the prophecy she didn't understand... which is why I need you to help her,_ Rosefur sighed, and Cherrypaw could hear an infinite amount of sadness in her voice, this time.

_But, how could she have misinterpreted it?! Couldn't you just tell her? I mean, it can't be that hard! _Cherrypaw said desperately, unwilling to have what seemed like such a tremendous responsibility put on her shoulder.

_It isn't that simple... Gentlebreeze must _not_ be told that she has misinterpreted it. It is absolutely essential that the whole Clan believes that Gentlebreeze's interpretation of the prophecy is correct. If word gets out that it isn't... well, then, the whole destiny of your Clan is changed... and it cannot be that way.... Oh, Cherrypaw.... it is such a big responsibility for such a young cat... I can sense that you do not want it to be this way.... just remember to...._

_To what?_ Cherrypaw said anxiously, her mother's voice was fading, and she could barely hear it.

_Lizard..... oh, Cherrypaw....Cherrypaw,_ Rosefur's voice faded away.

"Cherrypaw! CHERRYPAW!!! Get up! Get up!" Dovepaw, Magpiepaw's sister, yelled.

"What?" Cherrypaw's eyes flew open. She jumped up, and stared wildly around.

"Magpiepaw has come back from her training session with Lionleap... and they brought back a kittypet!" Dovepaw said excitedly.

"What?!" Cherrypaw stared at Dovepaw disbelievingly. "Magpiepaw wouldn't do such a thing!"

"If you don't believe me, then come out and see for yourself. Thornstar is already giving the kittypet a Clan name. You wouldn't believe the fuss Thornstar made!" Dovepaw purred, and walked out of the apprentice den, with Cherrypaw bounding after her.

Cherrypaw stared out into the camp, and looked at Highledge curiously. Practically the whole Clan was gathered beneath Highledge, and Thornstar was bellowing out an apprentice ceremony. Cherrypaw's eyes darted to where every other cat's eyes were looking, at a dark brown tom with bright green eyes. The tom was evidently excited, and he was flicking his tail back and forth energetically. Cherrypaw frowned slightly, _He must be the kittypet._

"Lizardpaw! Lizardpaw! Lizardpaw!" The crowd of cats yowled, most of them sounded rather unenthusiastic. Cherrypaw could guess that many of them didn't like the thought of a kittypet joining the Clan. To be sure, Firestar was a great leader, but he was leader of ThunderClan moons ago, and he was a rare kittypet.

The brown tom, newly named Lizardpaw, padded up to Dovepaw and Cherrypaw, noticing that they were staring at him, "Hi!"

Dovepaw purred delightedly, "Hi! I'm Dovepaw and this is Cherrypaw!"

For some reason, maybe it was because of the fact that her mother had died only three days before, or maybe it was because Cherrypaw was feeling unruffled because of the strange meeting with Rosefur, Cherrypaw answered rather coldly, "Oh, and so you're the new kittypet, aren't you?"

The tom bristled, "My name is Lizardpaw. And I have given up the living with my housefolk. _And_ I'm just as good a Clan cat as you are."

Cherrypaw's eyes blazed, how dare he suggest that he was just as good as she was? He hadn't been in the Clan for more than a few minutes, and already he was treating her like she was no more than a piece of dirt, "Are you trying to say that you're better than me?"

Lizardpaw hissed, "Are you saying that _you_ are better than _me_ because you're Clanborn?"

Cherrypaw growled, and was about to make a sharp retort, but Dovepaw hastily said, "Lizardpaw, do you want to go and meet some more of your Clanmates? I'm sure your new mentor would love to show you around! I'll talk to Cherrypaw."

Lizardpaw narrowed his eyes at Cherrypaw, _I'll show her that kittypets are just as good as Clanborn cats,_ he thought.

"Cherrypaw! Why did you say that?" Dovepaw mewed in distress.

"He's so smug!" Cherrypaw growled. Then a thought occurred to her, "Who's his mentor, anyway?"

"Thornstar, and before you get all huffy about that, just remember that Lizardpaw is totally new to the Clan. It's only natural that he should be friendly to everyone. And it's not easy being in a crowd of strangers," Dovepaw lectured Cherrypaw

"Fine! I suppose you can go spend time with your new-found friend, and I'm going to talk to Magpiepaw," Cherrypaw hissed at Dovepaw. She felt a slight twinge of guilt as she saw Dovepaw storm away from her.

_I suppose I should go and apologize to both of them...,_ Cherrypaw thought ashamedly. _I don't know what has gotten into me... Lizardpaw will think I'm... wait! _Lizard_paw? Didn't Rosefur say something about a lizard? What was the prophecy again? One death will be of roses, the next of thorns. The rest will follow, unless the bud learns... to be like the lizard among the ferns. What does that mean? Does it mean that Lizardpaw is an intruder? Maybe he will harm the Clan... of course! Oh dear... but I can't tell Gentlebreeze... Rosefur said that was against the rules..._

Cherrypaw padded outside the camp, and sat down a little way away from the camp entrance. It was a favourite place of hers to sit, because she was out of view of any passing cats, and yet she could also see what was going on in the camp. She often went here when the world seemed to overwhelming, and this was definitely one of those times. She had seen Magpiepaw talking animatedly to Lizardpaw, and realized that her best friend liked the new apprentice. That much was obvious. Lizardpaw had seen Cherrypaw walking past them, and had given her a poisonous look, before returning to his conversation with Magpiepaw. It was pretty clear that Lizardpaw didn't want anything to do with Cherrypaw, not now that she had insulted him. Cherrypaw wondered whether apologizing would help anything, but had decided that it probably wouldn't make a difference. All she could do now was to try and interpret the prophecy, and figure out what Gentlebreeze hadn't. She remembered Gentlebreeze telling Thornstar what she thought the prophecy meant...

"_Thornstar... I think I understand what Littlefire was telling me...," Gentlebreeze said to Thornstar, they were sitting inside the medicine cat den. Cherrypaw had come to see Gentlebreeze, worried about Silverkit, who had been feeling unwell. The name Littlefire, a former medicine cat of ThunderClan, before even Silentwhisper, had rung a bell in Cherrypaw's mind. She stopped, and stood, concealed by some overgrowing ivy, and listened to the conversation quietly._

"_What does it mean? We have to figure it out soon, otherwise, from the sound of it, more cats will die," Thornstar mewed urgently. Of course he was worried, what would the other Clans think when the heard that ThunderClan were unable to figure out their own prophecy? ShadowClan especially would take advantage of it._

"_I think it means... well... the first part, 'one death will be of roses' means that the first death will be Rosefur. You see? Rose? Then it says 'the next will be of thorns'...," here Gentlebreeze trailed off._

"_Thorns?" Thornstar looked alarmed. "Does it mean... Thornpaw or myself?"_

_Gentlebreeze didn't meet his eyes, "I think it must. The only problem is working out which one of you two..."_

_Thornstar looked pained. Thornpaw was his son, and was very close to him, "What does the rest of the prophecy mean?"_

"_The rest will follow... well, you can guess what that means. The next part is confusing, to say the least. I think 'unless the bud learns' indicates that one of our cats will discover how to stop this... upcoming disaster. The only problem is, which cat? We certainly don't have a Budkit or Budpaw, or any cats called 'Bud' in our Clan," Gentlebreeze mewed, concerned._

"_What about the other Clans? Is there a cat called that in any of the other Clans?" Thornstar asked, very quietly. Cherrypaw had to strain her ears so that she could hear him._

"_No, not so far as I know. I talked to the medicine cats about it at the Moonpool, yesterday...," Gentlebreeze said softly, preparing herself for Thornstar's predictable outburst._

"_Gentlebreeze! No other Clan can know about this," Thornstar said, outraged. _

"_I only told them a bit of it, not all. No, I am not fool enough to do that," Gentlebreeze said defensively. Cherrypaw could hear that she was agitated._

"_What about the last part?" Thornstar asked, pain strong in his voice._

"_To be like the lizard among the ferns? I think it means... that the cat must learn to... hide himself or herself. To conceal things. Lizards... well... I think it means that green lizard, and, if you put it amongst ferns... well, you could say it is effectively invisible," Gentlebreeze answered, her voice still soft. Cherrypaw wondered what that meant..._

Cherrypaw's eyes widened. The last part... that had to be what Rosefur meant. Gentlebreeze hadn't understood the last part. Lizard. Lizard _must_ mean Lizardpaw. But what was the 'bud'? It was so confusing. One thing Cherrypaw knew was that she had to be wary of the newcomer. Lizardpaw. He could be the one that ruined the Clan. He could be the Clan's downfall. He could kill every cat in ThunderClan. But she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. After all, what sort of medicine cat was Cherrypaw?


	4. Chapter 3: Peace

**So, I looked over my previous chapters and thought, 'too fast, at this rate I'm going to finish the story by Chapter 7 or 8'. Of course, I don't want that. And, so, let me introduce you to my latest Chapter, Peace. Okay, kinda silly title name, but what else could it be called? Actually, don't answer that.**

**I was looking over my other chapters, again, and noticed that I had absentmindedly changed Gentleheart to Gentlebreeze. I have got no idea why. But, I decided that, since my mind was furiously battling with my decision to make her name Gentleheart, to change it to Gentlebreeze. I have edited all of the chapters so that they call her Gentlebreeze. Sorry for the mix-up.**

**Also, I forgot to put a disclaimer in. Silly me. I'm going to do ONE for the whole story. So, here it is:**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN WARRIORS! Or, any other best-selling book, for that matter. BUT I do own all my stories, e.g. This story. So, anyone who dares to say that I DON'T own my own story will be severely punished. I don't know what the punishment will be, but I'll think about it.**

**And, enjoy!**

Peace

Cherrypaw looked at the fresh-kill pile hungrily, but she knew that she couldn't have any. It wasn't fair on the elders and queens. She hadn't caught a morsel today, and knew that she wouldn't be allowed to eat anything until she had. Of course, there wasn't exactly a published rule on that, it was just an fact. She remembered when Branchpaw had taken some fresh-kill from the pile, when he hadn't caught anything that day, and he'd been sentenced to a moon of hunting for the elders and queens, not to mention making sure the elders' bedding was good, and checking the elders for ticks. Needless to say, that was the last time Branchpaw had taken anything from the fresh-kill pile without having hunted for something first.

The sound of laughter floated over to her, and Cherrypaw looked up. She could see Lizardpaw, Magpiepaw, and Thornpaw chatting together animatedly. Magpiepaw was holding out her paws to show how big something was. Cherrypaw guessed that Magpiepaw was telling them the time when Branchpaw and Magpiepaw had gone out hunting, and caught a snake. It was quite something for the two apprentices, and Cherrypaw had been jealous of the attention the other apprentices gave them for days afterwards. Lizardpaw was nodding enthusiastically, and laughed at something Thornpaw had said. Cherrypaw bit her lip, they looked so... happy together. She hadn't felt anything like as happy as they looked since... well, since Rosefur had died. Her mother's death had affected Cherrypaw much more than she let on. Rosefur had been the only family Cherrypaw had had. Cherrypaw's father, Cinderclaw, had died just after Cherrypaw and her sister had been born. Cherrypaw's sister, Cinderkit, had caught greencough, and died. Shortly afterwards, Cherrypaw had become an apprentice. It still hurt Cherrypaw to think of her cheerful older sister, who's tabby pelt, exactly like her father's, used to bounce around the camp energetically.

Cherrypaw shook her head, reminding herself not to get caught up in the past. You wasted too much time doing that. What else was Cherrypaw supposed to do, though? None of the apprentices that were in camp would talk to her much, because they either thought that Cherrypaw was too young for them, or they sided with Lizardpaw. Meaning basically that there were two groups. Group number one sided with Lizardpaw. Group number two sided with Cherrypaw. Unfortunately, Cherrypaw was the only one who had anything against Lizardpaw, as none of the others had heard of the prophecy, or, even if they had heard of it, probably cared nothing about it. It was sometimes an unfair world, Cherrypaw thought resentfully. Several times, Cherrypaw had come near to apologizing to Lizardpaw, but then Lizardpaw had shot her a poisonous look, and Cherrypaw had decided that it wasn't such a good idea to apologize.

"Cherrypaw! Guess what?" Silverkit bounced up to Cherrypaw excitedly, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" Cherrypaw asked, already knowing the answer. Everyone in the camp was constantly reminded that Silverkit's apprentice ceremony would take place soon. Silverkit made absolutely sure of that.

"I'm going to be an apprentice today! Apprentice! Apprentice! Apprentice!" Silverkit chanted energetically. "APPRENTICE!"

Cherrypaw winced at Silverkit's enthusiastic shouting, "That's great! Do you know who your mentor will be?"

Silverkit's eyes grew round, "No... d'you think it'll be... Pigeonfeather! Or Cloudfur! What if my mentor is a tom?"

Cherrypaw couldn't help laughing, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but... I'd like my mentor to be Pigeonfeather, or Cloudfur," Silverkit mewed, her eyes losing their light.

"You never know, it might be! So keep your hopes up," Cherrypaw said quickly, unwilling to see little Silverkit so downhearted. Little... actually Silverkit was quite big. Not as big as Cherrypaw, yet. But she might be soon.

"That's what Mother said!" Silverkit ran off, happy again.

_Thornstar will have quite a lot to say at the Gathering... it must be about five days, till the Gathering. Shadestar will probably sneer at the fact that Thornstar has taken in a kittypet. I can already hear what she'll say... Shadestar... she was there when Rosefur... I attacked her, didn't I? She won't forget that. Wait a minute_, Cherrypaw's eyes widened as she remembered something,_ didn't Thornstar stop us from attacking the ShadowClan patrol? Magpiepaw told him about it, I'm sure... why would he not want us to attack? Shadestar isn't exactly on her last life. And... why did he come alone? Surely he would've brought back-up, in any ordinary circumstance. There's something going on here... something... weird._

Cherrypaw sighed, and padded out of the camp. She might as well go hunting, as there didn't seem to be anything else to do. Except think about the strange things that had been happening. And that only helped her to lose sleep. Perhaps having a relaxing time hunting might ease her mind, just a bit. It usually did, especially when her belly was empty. Actually, a piece of fresh-kill was starting to sound awfully appetizing. Cherrypaw bounded off, ignoring the little voice at the back of her mind that was saying "You know that apprentices can't go out of camp without supervision. You'll get into _big_ trouble". Who cared about a conscience when things bigger than ThunderClan's territory, combined with the other three Clans' territories, where happening? Well, not Cherrypaw.

* * *

Cherrypaw walked happily back into the camp, carrying three mice, a thrush and a pigeon in jaws. The only problem here was that she couldn't exactly fit them all into her mouth, so she'd have to go back and forth, picking up the thrush and the pigeon when they fell. The mice didn't seem inclined to fall, which saved her a lot of trouble. Cherrypaw dumped them onto the fresh-kill pile, and chose a juicy looking rabbit for herself. She padded over to a corner of the camp, and began to nibble on the rabbit, slowly sinking deeper into thought.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting," Thornstar yowled, leaping up onto Highledge. Cats began to seat themselves below Highledge, and then waited patiently for the next words of their leader. Cherrypaw ran over to where all the other cats where, after gulping down the last of her rabbit. As she sat down, Cherrypaw looked over at where Silverkit was sitting proudly, her silver fur gleaming softly in the sunlight.

"Pigeonfeather, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor Silverpaw. Pigeonfeather, you have shown yourself to be brave and wise. And now I ask you to pass down all you know to this apprentice," Thornstar continued, smiling as Silverpaw bounded up excitedly to Pigeonfeather, and the mentor and apprentice touched noses.

"Silverpaw! Silverpaw!" The Clan yowled in unison, this time, unlike the last apprentice ceremony, the Clan sounded enthusiastic. Cherrypaw chanted along with the rest of the Clan, happy.

"Cherrypaw! I am an apprentice!" Silverpaw ran up to Cherrypaw, squealing with delight.

"Act like one," Cherrypaw laughed, remembering the time when she had been first become an apprentice. She had been so excited that she had practically barged into every cat to tell them. Of course, every cat knew it, but Cherrypaw had felt it was a good idea to emphasize the point.

Lizardpaw walked over to Cherrypaw and Silverpaw, "Congratulations Silverpaw!"

Silverpaw's eyes darted from Cherrypaw and back to Lizardpaw. She could sense that Cherrypaw didn't like Lizardpaw, and vice versa. With some difficulty, Silverpaw managed to croak out, "Thanks."

Cherrypaw watched as Lizardpaw went over to talk to Thornpaw, and she sighed. Her obvious hostility towards Lizardpaw was affecting every single member of the Clan, with the exception of the kits, who, quite frankly, were unaware of the tension between Lizardpaw and Cherrypaw. Maybe, thought Cherrypaw, I'm overreacting... no, I must keep firm. Nobody is going to change my mind unless they have proof.

"Hey! Cherrypaw! You wanna hunt?" Magpiepaw ran over to Cherrypaw. Cherrypaw nearly jumped in surprise. Magpiepaw hadn't talked to Cherrypaw for a whole week. What could have brought this on?

"Sure!" Cherrypaw mewed happily. Despite her suspicions about the reason Magpiepaw wanted to hunt with her, Cherrypaw was only too happy to oblige. After all, Magpiepaw _was _her best friend.

The two padded out of the camp, and began to make their way automatically to thickly covered area near the training hollow. It was a place that all the apprentices knew of, and they often had secret 'apprentice meetings' here. Of course, it wasn't so good considering the fact that all the warriors knew where the place was, or, rather, _would've_ known where the place was. Once three apprentices had become warriors, the apprentices moved the meeting place to another part of ThunderClan's territory. So, naturally, that was where Cherrypaw and Magpiepaw went.

"Okay, spit it out. What's wrong?" Cherrypaw said, the moment she had made sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"How do you know that something's wrong?" Magpiepaw asked, trying to avoid Cherrypaw's gaze.

"You're my best friend, for StarClan's sake! We've known each other for moons! Of _course_ I can tell when something is bothering you. So, what is it?" Cherrypaw said, exasperated.

"I-I-I'm not... sure...," Magpiepaw stared at the ground uncomfortably.

"_Magpiepaw_, come _on_. I know there's something wrong, and I know that you know what it is. Please, you can trust me," Cherrypaw said softly. Why wasn't Magpiepaw telling her? Did Magpiepaw seriously think that Cherrypaw would tell on her?

"O-okay," Magpiepaw shuffled her paws, and looked around, her grey eyes refusing to meet Cherrypaw's. "It's Lizardpaw."

Cherrypaw's eyes widened. She couldn't believe her ears. Had Magpiepaw figured out what the prophecy meant? Or...

"I... I lo--... like him, a lot," Magpiepaw whispered brokenly. "But what if he doesn't like me?"

Cherrypaw thought that, for once in her life, Magpiepaw was being stupid. How _could_ Magpiepaw like that mouse-brained kittypet? But Cherrypaw didn't voice her thoughts. Instead, she murmured comfortingly, "Don't worry. Talk to him about, he'll understand. I...," Cherrypaw swallowed, what she was about to say was the truth, but it took a heroic effort to say it to Magpiepaw, "I think... I _know_ that he likes you, Magpiepaw."

Magpiepaw looked up, her grey eyes shining, "Really? Do you think so?"

Cherrypaw bit her lip, _Why me? Why is it my best friend who had to fall for a kittypet that could be a danger to the whole Clan?_ She wailed inwardly. Outwardly, she said, "Yes, I _know_ so. Come on, why don't you tell him?"

Magpiepaw's eyes sparkled with delight, "You know what? I will! Thank you so much, Cherrypaw!"

Cherrypaw forced a smile, "Anytime. After all, I'm not your best friend for nothing, am I?"

"Of course you aren't!" Magpiepaw purred, and swiped a paw playfully at Cherrypaw's ear. "True best friends always understand each other, like us, right?"

"Of course!" Cherrypaw couldn't believe the effort it took to say those words enthusiastically. She watched as Magpiepaw bounded off happily towards the camp, and sighed to herself. _Oh, Rosefur... why is it me that has to deal with this? I can't abandon Magpiepaw, and I can't bring myself to like that kittypet. And yet they love each other. My best friend and my enemy. Why? _

"Because it is destiny, my sweet," a voice whispered softly in Cherrypaw's ear.

Cherrypaw whirled around, and saw the slender red-furred figure of her mother standing next to her. She let out a sigh of relief, and then frowned, "Mother, but... destiny? How can it be destiny?"

"It is what I have planned," Rosefur sighed. "Every step must be perfectly placed, otherwise the whole plan will go to dust."

"Plan? What plan? You're _planning_ something?" Cherrypaw's eyes widened until they looked as round as the moon.

"Ah, but you must discover what plan. It is not for you to know... not now," Rosefur explained gently.

"Not for me to know? It concerns my best friend!" Cherrypaw said wildly. "What's going to happen to her? And... Lizardpaw?"

"As I told you, not for you to know," Rosefur repeated quietly. "Cherrypaw, great things will happen, but they won't be predictable. They cannot be predictable. Not even StarClan knows some of them. How are you succeeding in working out y-- the prophecy?"

"Not very well," Cherrypaw admitted. "It's harder than I would've thought it would be. I don't know how Gentlebreeze manages it."

"Moons of experience, that's how," Rosefur laughed. "I shouldn't wonder that you'd master the art after a few dozen moons. Even then, medicine cats have difficulty."

"I would've been great at it!" a high-pitched voice piped up. Cherrypaw's head snapped around, and she saw a bright tabby furred kit sitting next to Rosefur. Cherrypaw's heart leaped with delight as she recognized Cinderkit, her older sister.

"I'm sure you would've been," Rosefur purred with amusement.

"Cinderkit!" Cherrypaw squeaked.

"You know, I would've been Gentlebreeze's apprentice, if I hadn't gone to StarClan," Cinderkit said solemnly, her green eyes aglow with the idea. "I would've learned all the herbs and their uses, and I would know the secrets of StarClan."

"You would, would you?" Cherrypaw laughed happily. It was almost like old times.

"Rosefur, Cinderkit, you must go. We cannot intervene with the lives of the cats below us," a serious voice cut through Cinderkit's excited squeals and boasts. Cherrypaw stared, mystified, at the tabby tom. She didn't know this cat.

"Okay," Cinderkit squeaked, "I'm coming. Just because you're my father doesn't give you the right to tell me what do to _all_ the time, though."

Cherrypaw's heart raced. Father? That must meant that... the tom was Cinderclaw! She swallowed, "Are you my... father?"

The tom looked at Cherrypaw in surprise, and then nodded, "Yes."

Rosefur and Cinderkit had disappeared, leaving Cherrypaw alone with the tom. In a way, Cherrypaw felt awkward. This cat was her father, and yet she couldn't think of a single thing to say to him. Not one single thing.

"Cherrypaw...," Cinderclaw started. Then he stopped. After a long pause, he continued, "Cherrypaw, I want you to understand that... you mustn't despise Lizardpaw. He is a good apprentice, and, as of yet, he hasn't done anything bad. Try to remember that. Look at Brambleclaw, his father was a treacherous villain, and yet Brambleclaw himself was a loyal deputy. And Firestar, he was a kittypet, but ended up being one of the greatest leaders in ThunderClan history."

"But... as of yet?" Cherrypaw queried. _As of yet he hasn't done anything bad_. That was what Cinderclaw had said.

"Ah, I fear I have confused you. I will not intervene with fate," Cinderclaw sighed. Then he faded away into the background.

"As of yet he hasn't done anything bad...," Cherrypaw muttered to herself. Life was so confusing. Maybe, just maybe, she had deciphered the prophecy correctly.

**And so ends chapter 3, Peace! Yeah, so it's not very good. But I enjoyed writing it, and that is what really counts. Oh... and... I HEARD THAT THERE WILL BE A WARRIORS MOVIE!!! Yay! At least, that's what the net says. But, like my dad says, 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'. Still... =crosses fingers=**

**It took me THREE DAYS to write this. You wanna know why? Because I could only have about 20 minutes or less every day to write it. I'm waiting hopefully for Saturday and Sunday to arrive.**

**Please Read&Review!**


	5. Chapter 4: The Gathering

**Thanks to elemental helper for reviewing!!! I really would appreciate it if I had 4 reviews by the time I publish the chapter after this one... but... it's up to you reviewers.**

**And this chapter is where more Clan life is introduced. The 'action' can wait. Okay, okay, I am sorry to all the people who love action, but I like a bit of peace in my stories before more things start happening. I can promise you one thing, though... something important is going to happen in this chapter _and_ the next chapter. You'll see.**

The Gathering

"I'm going to a _Gathering_!" Silverpaw yelled delightedly in Cherrypaw's ear. "A GATHERING!!!"

Cherrypaw purred happily, "I know! It's my first Gathering, too. I wonder what all the other Clans will be like..."

"I wanna meet ShadowClan! They sound the most _interesting_," Silverpaw announced. "And, I'm also going to uncover many secrets. I wonder if there are any forbidden relationships between cats, right now?"

"I don't know. There probably are," Cherrypaw said doubtfully. "I mean, even _Leafpool_ had a forbidden relationship. And it was with that stupid fur-ball that went by the name of Crowfeather."

"Aw, don't be mean about him. I'm sure he was trying to be a loyal WindClan cat. Maybe we'll meet one of his descendants at the Gathering tonight!" Silverpaw bounced up excitedly. Cherrypaw laughed, Silverpaw just wouldn't sit still for a moment.

"Maybe. We might even meet some descendants of Tigerstar's!" Cherrypaw mewed, eyes wide.

"Maybe one of the cats _here _is descended from Tigerstar," Silverpaw suggested, looking around suspiciously at the other cats. "Maybe _I'm_ descended from him!"

Cherrypaw studied Silverpaw, then shook her head, "More likely you're a descendant of Greystripe and Millie."

"Do you think so?" Silverpaw's blue eyes looked as round as moons as she contemplated being a descendant of the famous Greystripe.

"Perhaps. I could be Firestar's great-great-great-great-great granddaughter?" Cherrypaw said questioningly.

"Well, you are red-furred. But I think you're darker than Firestar," Silverpaw bit her lip doubtfully.

"What _are_ you two talking about?" Magpiepaw padded up to them. She was rather disgruntled as Thornstar hadn't included her in the group of ThunderClan cats that were going to the Gathering.

"Oh, we're wondering which of us is a descendant of a famous cat," Silverpaw said in an unfriendly voice. Apparently, Magpiepaw had offended Silverpaw in some way or other, although Cherrypaw couldn't begin to guess how.

"Silverpaw! Look at this!" Thornpaw called excitedly from outside the camp. Silverpaw bounded off to see what Thornpaw was mewing about, leaving Cherrypaw and Magpiepaw alone.

"Uh... how are things going with Lizardpaw?" Cherrypaw asked, slightly uncomfortable.

"Great! I'm so glad that you told me to speak to him. He did understand what I was talking about," Magpiepaw's eyes glowed with happiness.

"I'm so happy for you," Cherrypaw didn't have the heart to be cold to her friend. Not just any friend, Cherrypaw thought, _best_ friend.

"Lizardpaw said he'd stay behind with me, and let Thornpaw go in his place," Magpiepaw looked over to where Lizardpaw was eating a piece of fresh-kill, her expression affectionate.

"That's...," Cherrypaw searched in her mind wildly for the right word, "that... is wonderful."

Magpiepaw looked curiously at Cherrypaw, "What's wrong? You've been acting weirdly ever since Lizardpaw joined ThunderClan. What is it you have against him, anyway?"

"I...don't... know," Cherrypaw stammered out. The last thing she wanted was for Magpiepaw to know of the prophecy. None of the other cats where supposed to know, apart from Thornstar and Gentlebreeze, and Cherrypaw herself shouldn't really have known. She didn't want to ruin Magpiepaw's happiness, not now.

"Cherrypaw, please... you know I would do anything for you," Magpiepaw whispered persuasively. Cherrypaw purred as she remembered exactly why Magpiepaw was her best friend.

"I suppose we just got off to a bad start. I was feeling unruffled," Cherrypaw sighed, and then swiped at Magpiepaw's ear playfully. "Why don't you go over and keep Lizardpaw company? He's giving us evil glares."

Magpiepaw laughed, "Okay, see you later!"

"Why did it have to be _her_?" Cherrypaw said to herself. Then she shook her head, _No, I must not keep grudges. I don't even know if Lizardpaw really _will_ bring the Clan to its downfall_.

"Hey, Cherrypaw! You wanna hunt?" Rockpaw bounded over to her. Rockpaw was a dark grey tom, and his eyes were an odd shade of dark, dark blue. They were so dark a blue that they were almost black. Cherrypaw got on very well with Rockpaw, and they had been apprenticed on the same day, even though Rockpaw was a moon or two older. But he had suffered an injury from a fox when he was exploring outside of the camp, and had had to postpone being made an apprentice until he recovered.

"Sure! Aren't you excited about going to the Gathering?" Cherrypaw accepted the invitation gratefully. She had been unsure of what to do when Magpiepaw left.

"Yes! Of course I am! What kind of a weirdo would _not_ be excited about going to their first Gathering?" Rockpaw mewed enthusiastically back. "Betcha I'll see the _legendary_ Tigerstar's descendant. I know who it is!"

"You do?" Cherrypaw gasped. "Who is it?"

"Darkpaw, he's the medicine cat apprentice of ShadowClan. They say that his mother named him after Darkstripe, Tigerstar's accomplice. He'll definitely be there," Rockpaw said solemnly.

"Any other cats that will be _interesting_ interesting?" Cherrypaw's eyes widened at the thought of meeting Tigerstar's descendant.

"Oh, yes! There's Mistflower, she's RiverClan's medicine cat. She's Mistyfoot's descendant. Apparently, her kit is Flowerpaw, but, of course, she doesn't admit to it," Rockpaw explained happily. He was always at his best when he was talking.

"Who's the father?" Cherrypaw asked absentmindedly. She was looking at the sun that setting far in the distance, and admiring the red and orange glow that coloured the horizon. It was such a beautiful sunset, by far the best she'd seen since... Rosefur died. The sunset reminded her of her mother, and she felt a sharp pain stab at her heart. She knew it wasn't right to continue to grieve for her mother, who had been killed nearly a moon ago. But she couldn't help it.

"The deputy, Stonesnarl," Rockpaw almost beamed with satisfaction. He was often teased about being like 'all the she-cats' because he loved all the gossip. Then he noticed Cherrypaw's pained expression, "What's wrong?"

Cherrypaw shook her head, and sighed, "Nothing. I was just... remembering."

"Oh. Er...," Rockpaw was uncomfortable. He disliked emotional cats, mainly because he couldn't handle tears. He found tears extremely embarrassing. He sniffed the wind, then announced, "I smell a rabbit!"

Cherrypaw opened her mouth to say something, but Rockpaw had already disappeared into the bushes, hunting the rabbit. She laughed quietly, it was so typical of Rockpaw. Even Branchpaw and Thornpaw would have been more sympathetic. Strangely enough, Cherrypaw felt comforted. It wasn't exactly the kind of comfort she'd been expecting, but it was still comfort. She got up, and sniffed the air. "Mmm... mouse," she breathed, and dropped into a hunting crouch. She saw the little grey mouse scurrying along the forest floor, and pounced, just catching it. She felt intense satisfaction sweep through her as she regarded the mouse with a superior air. It was wonderful to be out here, in the forest, with all the forest scents swarming around her. Suddenly, all her troubles seemed to be blown away by the gentle breezes that blew through the forest. Cherrypaw laughed out loud, this time joyously, and ran off to see if she could find out where Rockpaw had gone.

* * *

"Gathering! Oh my StarClan! I can see the other Clans!" Silverpaw squeaked. "Oh! I think I'm going to faint!"

"Don't be so melodramatic," Thornpaw rolled his eyes. "If you faint now, you won't be able to come. We'll get Cherrypaw to take you back to camp."

"Hey! No way am I going back to camp, not _now_," Cherrypaw protested, but she was in high good spirits.

"All the more reason to make you go back to camp. It'll be fun to see the disappointment on your face," teased Rockpaw, who was practically forcing himself to walk. Cherrypaw could understand how he would love to run ahead and yell out his excitement to the world. Even though Cherrypaw wasn't exactly feeling _that_ joyous. Rockpaw and Silverpaw were always overdoing things. But that was what made them fun to hang around.

Cherrypaw halted as she saw the fallen tree. She remembered being told that it was the only way to go to the Island. She shuddered at the thought of going anywhere _near_ that black, calm water. It was almost as if the water was waiting to snap up at an apprentice that strayed too far away from the rest of the cats. Then Cherrypaw shook herself, and took a deep breath. She felt Silverpaw nudging her, and saying, "Oh, for StarClan's sake! Hurry up! The whole of WindClan is waiting behind us!"

Cherrypaw stepped back as a light grey she-cat began to walk across the fallen tree. The she-cat jumped off gracefully on the other side, and waited for another she-cat, dark grey, to follow her.

"That's Mistflower and Flowerpaw," Thornpaw whispered in Cherrypaw's ear. "Now, hurry up!"

Cherrypaw placed her paw carefully on the fallen tree, and cautiously began to cross. She had managed to get half way across, when the log wobbled. Cherrypaw's eyes widened in panic, and she sunk her claws into the log, hoping to stay on. She heard a chuckle at the other end of log, and turned around to see who had dared laugh at her. She saw Rockpaw and Silverpaw in a fit of laughter, and immediately understood what had happened. Rockpaw or Silverpaw must have knocked the log, for the very satisfying purpose of scaring the wits out of Cherrypaw. Cherrypaw hissed in annoyance, and managed to get to the Island without any further difficulties.

She heard the murmur of voices behind her, and whirled around to see huge masses of cats randomly scattered around the clearing. There were red cats, ginger cats, tortoiseshell cats, white cats, brown cats, black cats, grey cats, and numerous cats that were ginger and white, black and white, brown and white, and more. It was so overwhelming that Cherrypaw's brain seemed to give out for a minute. Then she felt Silverpaw nudge her hard, and she snapped back into reality.

"Wow, look at all the cats!" Silverpaw mewed in amazement. "Hey, Thornpaw! Who are the important cats here?"

Thornpaw sighed, and excused himself from a small white and brown tom that he had been talking to, "What?"

"Who were you talking to? And, please tell us who is who!" Silverpaw begged.

"The tom I was talking to is Flypaw, he's an apprentice of WindClan," Thornpaw started. "The black tom over there, the one that has dark grey stripes, is Darkpaw, medicine cat apprentice of ShadowClan. The ginger tom sitting next to him is Flarehawk, who is the medicine cat of ShadowClan."

"Flypaw, Darkpaw, and Flarehawk," Cherrypaw murmured, nodding.

"The white she-cat over there is Snowflight, and she's the medicine cat of WindClan," Thornpaw continued. "She hasn't got an apprentice yet, but WindClan is saying that Streamkit will be her apprentice."

"Okay, so... Snowflight and Streamkit," Silverpaw put in before Cherrypaw could say anything.

"Then there's Mistflower, medicine cat of RiverClan. She's the one that crossed the bridge before you. The light grey one. And she doesn't have an apprentice, either. As for the deputies... well, that tom over there, the one that is black, brown, and white, is WindClan's deputy. He's called Patchfire. His mother was a loner when she joined WindClan," Thornpaw purred. "And the ShadowClan deputy is Nighteyes. He's the black tom over there. He's meant to be even meaner than Shadestar. Shadestar's the ShadowClan leader, of course."

"Shadestar, Nighteyes, Patchfire, Mistflower," Rockpaw nodded. Cherrypaw laughed, and then hushed herself as several nearby cats glared at her.

"And then RiverClan's deputy is Stonesnarl, that grey tom over there. The leaders are Brightstar, the tortoiseshell she-cat over there. She's leader of WindClan. Meant to be very kind. And the leader of RiverClan is Freestar. He's the black and brown tom over there. Apparently, he is one of the best leaders RiverClan has had since Mistystar. His warrior name was Freespirit," Thornpaw finished. Then he got up and padded over to Darkpaw. Out of curiosity, and lack of anything better to do, Cherrypaw decided to go with him. Silverpaw followed, whereas Rockpaw ran over to where some ShadowClan cats where gathered.

"... and they say that Mistflower's kit is Flowerpaw," a bright ginger she-cat was saying. She smelled of ShadowClan. She looked up as Cherrypaw and Silverpaw came over, and then nodded briefly at them, "Hi, I'm Gingerpaw, nice to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Cherrypaw, and this is Silverpaw. From ThunderClan," Cherrypaw added.

"Mmm," Gingerpaw nodded absently, and then continued telling her story. "And it was said that Mistflower actually had _three_ other kits, but only Flowerpaw survived. Talking of only one kit surviving... you know how Yellowfang had Brokenstar? And she killed her own son! That takes some gut to do. Of course, she had to do it, because he was bad, almost as bad as Tigerstar. Still, it was said that she was _really_ guilty afterwards."

"And I've heard that Darkpaw is a descendant of Tigerstar," Cherrypaw put in, wondering what the other cats would do.

Gingerpaw nodded, "Yeah, it's true. He's named after Darkstripe. He isn't half as domineering and power-hungry, though. At least, he isn't, _yet_."

Darkpaw snorted, and glared at Gingerpaw, "You think I'm going to be power-hungry? Like Tigerstar? Thanks _so_ much for being supportive."

"Are you his sister or something?" Silverpaw asked Gingerpaw.

"Foster-sister. My mother died when she was run over by a Two-leg monster," Gingerpaw stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry...," Cherrypaw said quietly, wincing as she remembered her mother.

"What's wrong?" Gingerpaw asked, noticing Cherrypaw's face.

"Cherrypaw's mother was killed a moon ago," Thornpaw said briefly.

"How?" Gingerpaw ignored Darkpaw's warning prod in the side.

"By ShadowClan warriors," Silverpaw said, her voice suddenly cold.

Gingerpaw's eyes took on a shocked look, "Really? But..."

"So typical of them. ShadowClan have never cared much for fairness," a ginger and white tom said, sitting down next to Silverpaw and Thornpaw. "Hi, I'm Troutpaw, from RiverClan."

Suddenly, a yowl silenced all the chatter of the cats. Cherrypaw looked up, and saw Thornstar sitting in a tree. He stepped forward, and announced, "ThunderClan's prey is plentiful, and we have four new apprentices. Silverpaw, Cherrypaw, Rockpaw and Lizardpaw. Silverpaw, Cherrypaw and Rockpaw are with us tonight."

All eyes turned to the three mentioned, and Cherrypaw felt her fur grow hot. Rockpaw, for once, looked embarrassed. Silverpaw, on the other hand, looked up proudly, glad to be the centre of attention.

"Who's Lizardpaw! You didn't tell us that a kit of that name was born!" Gingerpaw yelled up at the leaders. Several other cats made sounds of puzzlement, as they, too, recalled that no announcement had been made of a kit called Lizardkit.

"He is a kittypet, who has been taken into ThunderClan," Thornstar said calmly. Yowls of protest and anger emanated from the crowd of cats. The protest grew and grew until it was almost unbearable, and then Thornstar yelled, "SILENCE!!! Lizardpaw is doing very well, and has given up living the soft life of a kittypet."

Cherrypaw looked at the cats around her, and saw them subside into angry muttering. She felt extremely embarrassed, and suddenly realised that Lizardpaw had, more than likely, predicted this. That was one of the major reasons he hadn't come. He may have said that it was to keep Magpiepaw company, but Cherrypaw knew that it was more because he didn't want to be embarrassed by all the protests that would come after the announcement. He may have been a kittypet, but he certainly wasn't mouse-brained. Even Cherrypaw had to admit that.

"A _kittypet _in ThunderClan?" Darkpaw's eyes narrowed. "Not again?"

"I can't believe ThunderClan! They seem to _adore_ kittypets, don't they?" Gingerpaw whispered to Troutpaw, who promptly laid his ears back. It was clear that he wasn't too fond of Gingerpaw.

"RiverClan's prey is also plentiful, and we are pleased to announce that we have two new apprentices, Lillypaw and Perchpaw, both of whom are present," Freestar stepped forward, and said commandingly. Cherrypaw couldn't help noticing that Freestar seemed to effortlessly command every cat's attention. It must be very useful to be able to do that, Cherrypaw thought to herself.

Cherrypaw looked around, remembering Freestar had said that both apprentices were here at the Gathering. She saw a white she-cat looking down at her paws in embarrassment, and a brown tom that was sitting next to the she-cat, who was also looking extremely uncomfortable to have every cat looking at him. There seemed to be quite a lot of new apprentices at the Gathering tonight.

"Also, we have a new warrior. Streamfish is sitting vigil in camp, right now," Freestar continued. Cherrypaw couldn't help noticing Thornpaw's eyes brighten with delight. She turned to Thornpaw, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Something was wrong here. Thornpaw stared back at her boldly, and Cherrypaw gave a sigh, and looked back up to where Brightstar had just stepped forward.

"I am glad to say that WindClan's prey is running well, and that Runningheart has had two kits, Moorkit and Badgerkit," Brightstar began. The cats around Cherrypaw began murmuring, and Cherrypaw could hear Gingerpaw saying, "Those are Patchfire's kits, aren't they?"

"Also, we have one new apprentice, Grasspaw. He isn't present at the moment, unfortunately," Brightstar continued. "I am sad to announce that Grasspaw's mother, Whiskerflight, has joined StarClan. Other than that, I have no more news to report."

"Not Whiskerflight...," Thornpaw shook his head sadly, as did several other cats. Cherrypaw heard Gingerpaw sniff at the emotion, although she could see that's Gingerpaw's eyes were moist. Whiskerflight had obviously been quite popular among cats other than her Clanmates.

"ShadowClan has three new warriors, Sharpthorn, Quickfoot, and Shadowfur. Quickfoot is with us tonight," Shadestar announced proudly. Then her eyes darkened, "We also found that ThunderClan has been stealing our prey."

Yowls of protest rang around the clearing, but the protest only came from ThunderClan. The rest of the cats looked at Thornstar in shock, and began to mutter loudly. Several ShadowClan cats were smirking, and Cherrypaw felt a knot of anger in her belly. Summoning up her courage, and ignoring the looks that Thornpaw was giving her, she yowled, "But _ShadowClan_ killed one of our warriors!"

All the cats turned around to stare at Cherrypaw, who immediately regretted her rashness. But it was too late to backtrack now, "And, you know what? That warrior they killed was my mother! And we _weren't_ stealing prey!"

"Cherrypaw! Quiet!" Rockpaw whispered angrily. "You can't just say all that! Thornstar is going to be _furious_."

"ShadowClan killed an opposing Clan's warrior?" Brightstar asked disbelievingly. "Shadestar, is this true?"

"Of course it is," Freestar said smoothly. "ShadowClan is certainly capable of such a thing."

"Shadestar?" Brightstar pressed, her eyes alight with concern. Concern for who? Cherrypaw wondered.

"Yes, it's true. But ThunderClan was stealing ShadowClan's prey, and we had a right to do that," Shadestar muttered, glaring at Thornstar.

Freestar looked uncomfortable, and Cherrypaw could sense that he wasn't sure of what to do.

"Shadestar, you shouldn't have done that...," Brightstar murmured in her gentle voice.

"What do you know of it?" Shadestar demanded. This was a fight between the leaders now, and all the cats that weren't part of it began to shift around, feeling nervous. Cherrypaw wondered what all of this was about. Why was Brightstar so concerned about this?

"What's the matter with the leaders?" Silverpaw said nervously.

"I don't know," Thornpaw whispered back. He looked as nervous as Silverpaw. It wasn't ordinary to see the leaders fighting at a Gathering. Of course it wasn't.

"I know nothing of it, but, please, talk the matter over another day," Brightstar said softly.

"Fine," Shadestar and Thornstar said, both glaring at each other. There was another emotion there, in Shadestar's eyes. Cherrypaw recognised hurt. Why _hurt_? Cherrypaw's head spun with confusion.

"Good. The Gathering is now over!" Freestar called down to the cats below. Cherrypaw got up, and walked unsteadily over to the fallen tree. Silverpaw, Rockpaw, and Thornpaw followed her silently. She could feel the waves of puzzlement and... _anger _coming off them. She wondered how the anger fit in there. She certainly wasn't feeling anger. But then, what did she know of other cats' feelings?

* * *

_Who are you? Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here? What did I do to come here? Why **me**?_ A small red she-cat whispered in terror.

_Calm yourself. You are needed to help one of your... friends. She needs your guidance. I cannot always be there for here. I need you to look after here. I myself am concentrating on other things_, A bigger red she-cat answered softly.

_Rosefur! Why didn't you come and meet me earlier? Where am I?_ The small she-cat said delightedly.

_You are in StarClan, my dear sister. I am sorry. Budrose, I need you to look after my daughter. She is very important to me, and you must_, Rosefur continued firmly.

_StarClan! But... oh no... I... I remember now. I was killed by a dog. Oh... what about my housefolk?_ Budrose whispered worriedly.

_They will simply get another cat. Do not worry about them. It is your fault you chose to lead a soft life_, Rosefur said without sympathy. She had never forgiven her sister for leaving the Clan to lead a kittypet's life.

_Sorry, Rosefur. Don't worry, Cherrypaw will be safe as long as I'm watching over her_, Budrose reassured her sister.

_Good. She needs to be in safe paws. That prophecy... why can't I just tell her it? Because it is forbidden_, Rosefur answered herself.

Rosefur looked into a pool of water, and saw a tabby she-cat staring back at her. It was Leafpool. _What's wrong, Leafpool?_

Leafpool shook her head, and whispered in a low, ominous voice,

_**Darkness will learn the ways of the bud. The bud will learn the ways of darkness. With the lizard they must overcome the leader of light, or forever be doomed to live in light's shadow.**_

**Ah! That was a loooooooooooooooooooong chapter! I loved writing it! Amazing... /sighs happily/. Now... there is _another_ prophecy. _But_ this prophecy can only be fulfilled once the last one has. Ah-ha! Now, poor leetle Cherrypaw has to figure out the first one herself. It's really simple. But Cherrypaw needn't be told that it is. Me, being the writer, has already planned out most of the story. First time I've ever done it, actually. Puh-lease R&R!!!!!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Patrol

**Thank you to Crystalrose368 for reviewing! Okay, so now is the time for a wee bit o' drama. Just a bit. I love drama, and being dramatic. Unfortunately for me, most of the people scoff at my supposed 'dramaticness'. Not that that's a word. But I do enjoy a bit of drama, and here it is.**

The Patrol

"Yellowfire, Cloudfur, Rockpaw, Silverpaw, Cherrypaw, Thornpaw and myself will go on the border patrol. Thrushheart, you take Pigeonfeather and Dovepaw with you on the hunting patrol. And Blueclaw, you can take Sunpelt and Branchpaw on the sun-high patrol," Thornstar ordered. Thrushheart nodded, and slipped out of camp, followed by Pigeonfeather and Dovepaw. The cats that had been named to go out on the border patrol slid out of their dens, or stopped eating.

"Seriously, are that many cats needed for a _border_ patrol?" Cherrypaw grumbled, reluctantly getting up from her warm, mossy nest. She had been trying to catch up on some quality sleep that she needed after spending all of the last day running around on patrols.

"I know. Seven is a bit much, but maybe Thornstar has a reason," Silverpaw suggested brightly. For her part, she was happy to go on a border patrol. It was only the... Cherrypaw counted... eighth time she'd been on one, counting this one. Oh well, Silverpaw always had loved life. In fact, there was nothing wrong with that. But Cherrypaw could find Silverpaw's constantly delighted nature rather... annoying.

"Yeah, he sure does have a reason. We're patrolling the ShadowClan border," Rockpaw informed them, he looked slightly disgruntled at having to swallow down his fresh-kill hurriedly. Rockpaw was a _very_ slow eater, and didn't like to speed up, either. Eating was the only slow thing about him, though, Cherrypaw reflected sadly. He talked so fast that sometimes she had to ask him to repeat himself ten times, literally.

"ShadowClan?" Cherrypaw's eyes widened. "But Thornstar already made Thrushheart and Daisyflight patrol that border at sunrise."

"I know," Silverpaw nodded solemnly. "But he's dreadfully concerned about Shadestar doing something bad, again. Like killing off more of our cats. Or stealing our prey. Or extending her territory into ThunderClan's."

"ShadowClan have _always_ done that," Rockpaw complained, as they exited the camp. Thornpaw and the warriors were a little way behind them.

"Since the time of Shadowstar," Silverpaw agreed, swiping her paw at Thornpaw's nose. Thornpaw had run to catch up with the other apprentices, and he was out of breath.

"I thought you were a bit too prim for joining us young ones?" Silverpaw said jokingly.

"Am not!" Thornpaw shot back indignantly.

"I was only joking," Silverpaw said with an offended air. "No need to be so rude to me."

"You joke too much," Thornpaw complained. "It really gets on my nerves."

"So what?" Silverpaw asked, unconcerned.

"Ah! Look, we're near a thunderpath," Rockpaw ran up to it, and sniffed it. "Yuck! This smells horrible. What is it exactly?"

"Back away from it!" Yellowfire called warningly. "The Two-leg monsters come here. They almost never stop, though. As long as you're careful, they won't hurt you."

"Gingerpaw's mother was run over by a Two-leg monster," Cherrypaw informed them.

"Who's Gingerpaw?" Cloudfur asked mildly.

"A ShadowClan apprentice. We met her at the Gathering," Rockpaw explained, and put his paw tentatively on the thunderpath.

"Rockpaw! Don't touch it until I tell you to," Thornstar scolded him. "We have to make sure that the coast is clear before we cross it."

"We're gonna _cross_ it?" Silverpaw mewed excitedly. She leaned forward, and pricked her ears up. Then, without a second's hesitation, she darted across. At the other side, she began bouncing up and down, and stuck her tongue out at the other apprentices. "Ha ha! I'm over the other side!"

Cherrypaw refused to be taunted be Silverpaw, and stayed put. Silverpaw was prone to doing foolhardy things, and it wasn't necessary to follow her example. Rockpaw, on the other hand, decided it was all great fun, and crossed over to where Silverpaw was, after listening carefully to make sure no monsters were approaching.

"Okay, since those two are over, we should all go over. First, make sure that no monster is coming. Then cross over as fast as you can," Thornstar told Cherrypaw and Thornpaw. Then he crossed over himself, followed by Yellowfire. Cloudfur stayed back, and signaled to Cherrypaw to cross next. After a careful study of the thunderpath, and listening extra carefully for any monsters, Cherrypaw ran across to the other side.

"Okay, Thornpaw, you cross next," Thornstar called to his son. Thornpaw's eyes widened, and he looked nervous. Then he stepped onto the thunderpath, and began to cross. A faint roar sounded in the distance, and Thornpaw froze as he heard it. Cherrypaw's eyes widened as the roar got louder and louder, and she prepared to leap and knock Thornpaw off the thunderpath. Rockpaw saw what she was doing, and bit her scruff, preventing her from jumping. Thornpaw began to run, but Cherrypaw could see that he wouldn't make it across in time.

"Thornpaw!" Silverpaw screamed, just as Thornstar leaped up onto the thunderpath and knocked his son away. Cherrypaw shut her eyes as tight as she could, and heard a crunch, and felt Rockpaw tremble beside her. Then everything was silent. Nobody dared to move a muscle.

Cherrypaw opened one eye gingerly, and saw her leader lying on the thunderpath, covered in dirt and blood. Thornstar didn't stir, and she saw Thornpaw walk over to his father, and begin to whimper. Cloudfur leaped up onto the path, and began to drag Thornstar's body away from the thunderpath.

"It was all my fault!" Thornpaw wailed. "I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have just... stood there."

Yellowfire laid his tail briefly on the apprentice's shoulder, "Hush, don't blame yourself. It could happen to any cat." But Yellowfire's voice seemed to break at the last words, and he walked away slowly, following Cloudfur, who had set her leader down safely on the ground, and began to wail.

Silverpaw stood frozen in shock, she hadn't moved a muscle, and refused to be moved. Rockpaw tried to shove her towards the thunderpath, so that she could cross over, but he was having little success. Silverpaw just shook her head, and began to murmur manically, "No, no, no. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. It can't be. No, no, no."

"Shhh, get over the other side, Silverpaw. Please," Cherrypaw blinked a few times, and then swallowed hard. She helped Rockpaw get Silverpaw over to where Cloudfur was still wailing, and where Yellowfire and Thornpaw sat quietly, both of their heads bowed in sorrow.

Silverpaw ran over to Cloudfur, and then let out a piercing shriek. Cherrypaw's eyes widened at the sound, and she suddenly realised that, under her bounciness and excitement, Silverpaw hid a serious side. Thornpaw moved over to where Silverpaw was, and then gazed down at his father's body. Then nobody spoke, or moved. It was almost as if the world had stopped moving, and time was completely frozen.

Suddenly, Yellowfire let out a loud sigh, and the spell of silence was broken, "We must take Thornstar's body back to camp. Branchpaw will want to know."

At his words, Cloudfur let out a mew of distress, and began to drag Thornstar's body in the direction of the camp. It struck Cherrypaw that Cloudfur seemed over-concerned about her leader. Almost as if... she _loved_ him. But... yes, that was what it was. That was why Cloudfur was always so eager to please her leader, and always so defensive of Thornstar. That was why Cloudfur never seemed to leave the leader's side for a moment. And it also occurred to Cherrypaw that Thornstar might have felt the same way about Cloudfur. Branchleaf, Thornpaw and Branchpaw's mother, had died shortly after her kits were born, and Cloudfur had no competition whatsoever. Did Thornpaw or Branchpaw know about this? Cherrypaw wondered to herself.

"I thought he had more lives left," Rockpaw whispered brokenly, following Yellowfire, Cloudfur, Thornpaw, and Silverpaw.

"He... did. He said he had four lives left. But... he doesn't," Cherrypaw replied, her voice almost inaudible. Oh, why hadn't she knocked Thornpaw out of the way when she had the chance? She could so easily have done it. Now, she felt responsible for the death of her own _leader_. Surely it was better to die for your Clan than to let some other cat do it? But that was what nearly every cat felt. And Thornstar had been saving his son. And yet, even though she was still shocked at her leader's death, she wasn't actually unprepared for it. She had, in a way, known that it would happen. Thornstar had known it, too. And StarClan had said that _one death will be of roses, the next of thorn_. It had been set-up, so well set-up that, either way, one cat would have died. If Thornstar hadn't knocked his son out of the way, Thornpaw would have been the thorn that died. When he had knocked his son out of the way, Thornstar became that thorn. The outcome would have been the same, as far as the prophecy was concerned.

"He was lying, wasn't he?" Rockpaw whispered back. He didn't like to show what he was feeling, but Cherrypaw could still see that he was extremely upset. More than upset. There were no words for what they both were feeling. And certainly none for what Thornpaw and Cloudfur must be feeling.

"Yes, he must have been," Cherrypaw replied quietly. They were at the camp entrance, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. All she wanted to do was run away and never come back, but she knew she couldn't do that. It was irrational, and stupid. So she followed Rockpaw down to the camp, and, the moment she stepped foot inside the camp, a loud wail came from Branchpaw, who had seen his father's body.

"What happened?" Gentlebreeze gasped, as she and her apprentice, Breezepaw, came out from the medicine cat den.

"He was killed saving me," Thornpaw choked out, and Cherrypaw could see that his eyes were moist.

"_What_?" Branchpaw exclaimed. "Saving _you_? What happened?"

"A monster nearly ran over Thornpaw, but Thornstar pushed Thornpaw aside, and... he was the thorn," Cherrypaw muttered. The cats around her looked confused at her last words. All except Gentlebreeze, who gave her a look that said, "I want to talk to you later."

"The thorn?" Dovepaw asked, bewildered. "What do you mean, the _thorn_?"

"Nothing," Cherrypaw muttered rebelliously. It was stupid of her to blurt that out. She'd have to watch her tongue better.

"It's true, what Cherrypaw said. The patrol was crossing over the thunderpath, and Thornpaw hesitated, just a bit. A monster came close, and Thornstar... pushed Thornpaw to safety," Yellowfire explained sadly. He had been close to his leader, and considered Thornstar his brother.

"It's my fault," Thornpaw wailed in a high-pitched, heart-rending voice. Cherrypaw looked away, feeling embarrassed. It was really _her_ fault, as she could have easily saved Thornpaw, and not sacrificed herself, either. But something other than Rockpaw had stopped her. Almost as if somebody was pushing her away from the thunderpath. She had even caught a glimpse of red fur. But the scent wasn't her mother's, and it had disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Thornpaw, it was _not_ your fault," Yellowfire insisted. "It was an accident."

"That was the cause of my father's death," Thornpaw retorted. Dovepaw lay a comforting tail on his shoulder.

"I guess I'll go to the apprentice den," Silverpaw said, her spirits were low, for once. She crept away, like a mouse, to the apprentice den, and didn't reappear.

"I'll sit vigil for him," Thornpaw volunteered. In the end, the whole Clan did. With the exception of the three kits, Dapplekit, Leafkit, and Forestkit, who hadn't the faintest idea as to exactly what had happened. They only knew something sad had happened, and they decided it was none of their concern. Their mother, Brightshine, sat vigil with the rest of the Clan.

Cherrypaw glanced up at the reddening sky. She hadn't realised how much time had gone past. It seemed like only a few seconds ago that the... accident had happened. But Cherrypaw firmly believed that it wasn't an accident, but something that was entirely predictable, and meant to happen. She herself could have stopped it. If that red-furred cat hadn't stopped _her_. Who was that mysterious cat, who didn't smell of Rosefur, but smelled similar. Like a sibling. Had Rosefur had a sister or brother? To be honest, Cherrypaw didn't actually know. Rosefur never talked much about her family, at least, not in Cherrypaw's hearing.

* * *

Cherrypaw sat down carefully in the medicine cat's den. She gazed at the vast quantities of herbs, wads of cobwebs, and nests of moss. She had no idea how Gentlebreeze managed to keep up with all the illnesses in the Clan. She watched carefully as Gentlebreeze hastily plucked off some borage for Daisyflight, who was expecting kits, and would have them any day now. Daisyflight hadn't let on who the father of the kits was, but Cherrypaw could pretty well guess that it was the pale yellow tom that had stood proudly watching as Daisyflight announced that she was expecting the kits. The yellow tom being Lionleap, of course. That meant that Dovepaw would have to have a new mentor, but Thrushheart, no, Thrush_star_, said that both Dovepaw and Magpiepaw were ready to become warriors, and he said he'd do the ceremony that afternoon.

Life wasn't very different, Cherrypaw mused, since Thornstar had died. The Clan had grieved for over a week, but they were back on track, now, and ready to go to the next Gathering. Thrushstar was a good leader, and he was a fair one, too. Lizardpaw had become Yellowfire's apprentice, and Yellowfire had been promoted to deputy. It wasn't really surprising, as Yellowfire was considered a loyal, wise, and clever cat, and was always willing to do things for his Clanmates. Also, he had been very good friends with Thornstar, and that, in the eyes of most of the cats, proved his worthiness to the Clan.

"Cherrypaw, could you give me those poppy seeds, please," Gentlebreeze said quietly.

Cherrypaw obediently pushed the poppy seeds over to Gentlebreeze, then asked, "Why?"

"Bitejaw's having trouble sleeping, and he also needs some marigold," Gentlebreeze added, taking down some marigold. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit. What did you come for, anyway?"

"Peace and quiet," Cherrypaw replied. "To see if I could help with anything, too."

"Well, nothing at the moment, but we'll see," Gentlebreeze purred. Then she leaned over and whispered, "I understand what you're going through. Being the object of a prophecy is hard, trust me. And trying to figure it out is almost as hard. Don't worry, though, it'll all be alright, in the end."

Cherrypaw nodded at the gentle medicine cat, "Thanks, you'd better go and attend to Bitejaw, otherwise he'll be in a horrid mood later on."

Gentlebreeze laughed good-naturedly, and exited the medicine cat den. Cherrypaw looked at the rows of herbs, and breathed in, enjoying the scent of them. Some were rather bitter, but she loved the smell of it, anyhow. It was comforting to Cherrypaw. Lately she wasn't feeling herself. _It was all that damn prophecy's fault_, Cherrypaw sighed. _I wish I had never heard of it. _

"Are you okay?" Breezepaw asked quietly. He was Gentlebreeze's apprentice, of course, and was usually quite calm and quiet, like Gentlebreeze herself. He was almost invisible among his Clanmates, as nobody took much notice of him, because he would move like a shadow, silent as the water that surround the Island on a calm day, and gentle as Gentlebreeze. He was respected by every cat, though, as he commanded an aura of confidence and a concealed strength that made cats wary of him, too. His grey pelt was always shining, and his blue eyes always alert. Cherrypaw confided in him a lot, and she always knew that her secrets were safe with him. Magpiepaw may have been her best friend, but, whenever she felt that nobody in the world would understand her, not even Magpiepaw, she knew that Breezepaw was one cat who probably would understand.

"Yeah, just... a bit tired," Cherrypaw answered, after a moment's hesitation. "Why?"

"You seem a bit... out of sorts. Quieter than usual," Breezepaw replied, and began to sort out some herbs. "Pass the burdock root, please."

Cherrypaw pushed the burdock root over to Breezepaw, and smiled to herself. This was his way of giving her time to think over things, and a chance to tell him what she was worried about. She said nothing, though.

"Do you mind passing the cobwebs?" Breezepaw asked.

Cherrypaw silently picked up some cobwebs in her mouth, and put them down next to Breezepaw. Then she bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him about the prophecy and Rosefur's visits to her. After a while, she sighed, and said quietly, "You know that Gentlebreeze received a prophecy from Littlefire?"

"Yes, what about it?" Breezepaw nodded, still continuing to sort out the herbs. He got up, and placed some marigold carefully in a crack in the wall.

"I... overheard it. And Rosefur said that... Gentlebreeze misinterpreted it. But she told me not to tell Gentlebreeze," Cherrypaw mumbled in a confused way.

"Oh," Breezepaw stopped organising the marigold and burdock root, and turned to face her. "So, what do you want me to help you with?"

"I can't... understand the last bits of it. I don't know who the bud is," Cherrypaw sighed ashamedly. She felt that she had let Rosefur down by not figuring it out.

"You know... your mother had a sister called Budrose," Breezepaw began hesitantly.

"Did she?" Cherrypaw looked astonished. Her mother had never mentioned anything about a sister. And, it sounded like the sister had become a warrior, too.

"Yes...," Breezepaw nodded.

"What happened to her?" Cherrypaw asked the obvious question, she was burning with curiosity.

"She was very close to Rosefur, and they were almost like the same cat. Went out on patrols together, hunted together, ate together, made apprentices together, made warriors together. Even had kits at the same time," Breezepaw frowned. "Their mentors were also sisters."

Cherrypaw looked at Breezepaw incredulously, "_Kits_ together? I have _cousins_?"

"Yes," Breezepaw faltered. "Actually, only one."

"Who is it? A he or a she?" Cherrypaw pressed.

"You know that cat you met at the Gathering...," Breezepaw whispered, making sure nobody else could hear.

"At the _Gathering_?" Cherrypaw squeaked. "Is my cousin in another Clan?"

"Keep it down!" Breezepaw hissed. "Yes, the ginger cat you were speaking to. ShadowClan."

"Not_ Gingerpaw_!" Cherrypaw exclaimed. Then she slapped her tail into her mouth. "Sorry."

"Yes, Gingerpaw. She's Budrose's daughter. You see... Budrose fell in love with a ShadowClan tom called Larkflight. Their relationship was discovered by Rosefur, who stumbled upon the two when they were talking, just after a Gathering. Rosefur overheard Budrose saying that she was expecting Larkflight's kits. You can imagine how Rosefur felt. She was absolutely furious," Breezepaw sighed. "When Budrose had Gingerpaw, she took her to Larkflight to look after. Larkflight pretended that Gingerpaw was Gingerpelt's daughter. Gingerpelt was in love with Larkflight herself, and, though she was incredibly upset when she found out that Gingerpaw was his kit, she agreed to go along with the pretense. Not long afterwards, Gingerpelt was run over by a Two-leg monster. Darkpaw's mother, Blackfur, said that she'd look after Gingerpaw."

"Okay," Cherrypaw nodded, that made sense. In an odd, twisted sort of way. "What happened to Budrose after that?"

"Budrose said that her son had died, for, to make sure nobody would make the connection, she lied and said that her kit had been a tom. Everyone was full of sympathy, of course. All except your mother, who knew what Budrose had done. Rosefur would never betray her sister, though, so she said nothing, even though she refused to speak to Budrose," Breezepaw continued, licking his paw, and drawing it over his ear. "It was all too much for Budrose, though, and she told Gentlebreeze, who was then Gentlepaw, Rosefur, Thornstar, and Tallbird, who was your grandmother, that she was leaving the Clan, and was going to take up the life of a kittypet. Nobody ever saw her again, except Gentlebreeze, who was foraging for herbs once, and she saw Budrose in a Two-leg garden, being petted by one of her 'housefolk'. Gentlebreeze talked briefly to her, and that was it."

"Budrose... does that mean that Gingerpaw is the bud?" Cherrypaw asked softly. Her mind was reeling with the discovery, but she forced herself to stay calm.

"I don't think so. She could be," Breezepaw shrugged. "You are the one who has to figure it out."

"I know, I know," Cherrypaw sighed reluctantly. "But it's so... _hard_."

"Wrong, you think it's hard. It will be as plain as day when the time comes. Don't force yourself to think about it, just keep it in the back of your mind, and, when the time comes, you'll suddenly realise what it means," Breezepaw reassured her.

"Okay, thanks," Cherrypaw swiped her paw playfully at Breezepaw's ear. "You're a good friend."

"_Wonderful _friend," Breezepaw corrected her.

"Yes, yes, _wonderful_ friend," Cherrypaw laughed, and stepped outside the medicine cat den, feeling much lighter inside. She looked around the camp, and began to notice everything, the slightest detail, and take note of it in her mind.

What she didn't notice was the look Breezepaw gave her when her back was turned.

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Thrushstar yowled. Cherrypaw's ears pricked up, this must be Dovepaw and Magpiepaw's warrior ceremony. She ran over to where the rest of the Clan was gathering, and sat down next to Rockpaw and Breezepaw.

"I, Thrushstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Dovepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Thrushstar asked Dovepaw loudly. Cherrypaw noticed Leafkit, Forestkit and Dapplekit watch Dovepaw curiously.

"I do," Dovepaw's voice trembled with suppressed excitement and joy. She had waited a long time for this moment, Cherrypaw knew, and could hardly believe that it had arrived.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Dovepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dovesky. StarClan honours your wisdom and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Thrushstar bellowed out. Cherrypaw suppressed a laugh, Thrushstar looked so incredibly _serious_ that it was impossible not to be amused. Of course, this was his first warrior ceremony, so he was probably nervous, as well as excited. Dovesky walked up to Thrushstar, who put his head on her shoulder, and Dovesky licked Thrushstar's shoulder respectfully.

"Dovesky! Dovesky! Dovesky!" The Clan chanted happily. Cherrypaw could hear Forestkit, Dapplekit and Leafkit squealing excitedly with the rest of the Clan.

"I, Thrushstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Magpiepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Thrushstar continued, after the Clan had finished chanting Dovesky's name.

"I do!" Magpiepaw exclaimed, her eyes shining. Cherrypaw saw Lizardpaw gazing at Magpiepaw proudly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Magpiepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Magpieflight. StarClan honours your courage and your generosity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Thrushstar said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched Magpieflight walk up to him proudly. He rested his head on Magpiepaw's shoulder, and she licked his shoulder respectfully. Well, kind of respectfully, Cherrypaw corrected herself.

"Magpieflight! Magpieflight! Magpieflight!" The crowd chorused. Then, as if they were one, they started chanting both warriors' names. "Dovesky! Magpieflight! Dovesky! Magpieflight! Dovesky! Magpieflight!"

The two newly made warriors beamed at the crowd around them, and Cherrypaw padded over to them, "Congratulations, Dovesky. Congratulations, Magpieflight. Oh, you're both _warriors_ now! It's so hard to get used to!"

Dovesky laughed, "Yes, it is. I can't believe it! I've waited ages and ages for this to happen, and it never seemed to happen. And yet, here I am!"

Magpieflight smiled warmly at Cherrypaw, "What will you do without me next to you in the apprentice den?"

"Sob her heart out?" Silverpaw suggested cheekily, before Cherrypaw could say anything. "You two are _so_ lucky! I won't be made a warrior for _moons_! And moons! And moons! And moons! And moons! And---"

"Moons," Cherrypaw finished for her. "We get it, Silverpaw."

"Glad you do!" Silverpaw laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, and congratulations you two. It was really funny to see you being made warriors. But... did I already say that? No? Oh. Okay. Yeah. Hmm. Interesting. What did you say?"

"I said you sound like you're having a conversation with an invisible cat!" Dovesky purred. "Mouse-brain!"

"Hey!" Silverpaw said indignantly. "For all you know, I _could_ be having a conversation with a... erm.. what did you say I was having a conversation with?"

"An invisible cat," Magpieflight answered. "Dovesky said you were having a conversation with an invisible cat. I just say you're slightly crazy."

"Aw, nice friend you are!" Silverpaw pretended to sound upset. "Why can't you give a poor apprentice a break!"

"No more elder duties!" Dovesky said delightedly, ignoring Silverpaw.

"I know! But it means more elder duties for these two," Magpieflight agreed, giving Silverpaw and Cherrypaw a knowing look.

"Congratulations, Magpieflight!" Lizardpaw came up to them, purring. "And to you, too, Dovesky."

"Thanks, Lizardpaw," Dovesky laughed. "I'm going off to look for more cats that will congratulate me. I've decided I'm very fond of being congratulated."

"As am I, but I'm staying here," Magpieflight agreed. Then she turned to Lizardpaw, whispered something in his ear, and they trotted out of camp.

"Dovesky! Magpieflight! Remember, you've got to sit vigil a bit later," Thrushstar called to them. Both she-cats gave their tails a flick to show they had heard, and then continued on with what they were doing.

Cherrypaw looked after Magpieflight and Lizardpaw wistfully. She wished that she could join in, and have a good time, but she got the feeling that they wanted to be left alone. The other thing that prevented her was that wretched prophecy. She remembered Breezepaw telling her to forget about it, and it would be solved eventually. In that moment, all her previous hatred for Lizardpaw vanished, leaving only a wariness. She knew that she would try to ask forgiveness for being rude to him, and she hoped that he would understand. Perhaps they might even become okay friends.

"I understand what you're going through," Silverpaw murmured, catching Cherrypaw's wistful look.

"You do?"

"Yes, your best friend has found her soulmate, and she isn't paying much attention to you. It's slightly different in my case, but when you left the nursery, you started paying more attention to the other apprentices. You became best friends with Magpieflight," Silverpaw said softly. "I felt left out, the other kits played with me, sure, but you weren't there for me, not anymore. That's why I was so excited to become an apprentice, because I was sure that you'd pay more attention to me, treat me like you used to treat me. As an equal."

Cherrypaw felt a sharp stab of guilt at Silverpaw's words, "You... you felt that way?"

"You were my best friend, Cherrypaw," Silverpaw whispered.

"And, you were mine. Once," Cherrypaw swallowed. "I... I didn't realise that I was ignoring you."

"I know you didn't. That's why I never said anything about, till now," Silverpaw said quietly. "I don't blame you for doing it. I try to pay attention to the Leafkit, Dapplekit and Forestkit, but it's hard, because we are different in levels. If you know what I mean."

"I do...," Cherrypaw answered, just as quietly.

"Why don't we just... half forget this conversation? We can remember it, and we'll keep it in the back of our minds... but why don't we start afresh, kind of?" Silverpaw suggested, her eyes suddenly shining at the thought.

"Sure, why not?" Cherrypaw agreed, holding out her paw. Silverpaw laughed, and swiped at the outstretched paw, and padded off. Cherrypaw followed her, feeling warm inside her heart. A lot of problems had been resolved today. Perhaps Breezepaw had been right.

**I am soooooooo happy that I finally completed that chapter! Seriously, I'm soooooooo happy! ****It took me ages and ages to write it. Unfortunately, I'm a slow updater, but, I don't give a toss. At least I enjoy writing each and every sentence. Also, I discovered I am **_**not**_** good at writing drama. Oh well. R&R!!!**

**P.S. OMG!! 5, 143 words! Not counting these ones that I'm typing right now! HURRAH!!!  
**


	7. Chapter 6: Thorny Rivers

**Thank you so much to Hopepaw, Rippleth and xxxDREAMHEARTxxx for reviewing!**

**Okay, I _know_ I haven't written a chapter, not one single chapter, for over a month. I have no good excuse for this, even though I've tried to think of one. Homework? No, that is a tired old excuse. So, all I can do is try to make up for it... somehow.**

**Anyway, here is version three of Chapter 6! ( I know, version _three_. Trust me, it wasn't all fun and games. I did try two other times to complete it, but neither seemed to fit into the story very well. Life as a amateur writer can be trying sometimes. Me? Yeah, I haven't got _that_ excuse, either. I'm not an amateur writer. I'm barely passable as an amateur writer. )**

Thorny Rivers

_Drip, drip, drip_. The rain pattered down, making the forest floor uncomfortably soggy, even though it was refreshing to have some rain, as there had been very little rain since Rosefur had died. And that was about two and a half moons ago. Maybe even three. Cherrypaw had lost count of time. She had been under great pressure from her _dear_ friend Magpieflight to forgive Lizardpaw for whatever he had done wrong. Cherrypaw could be dreadfully stubborn sometimes. But she _still_ hadn't managed to just say that little word. One little word. 'Sorry'. It was partly her pride. Partly stubbornness. And, if there was room for another little partly, then it was also partly because she felt that Magpieflight was pushing her and ordering her around too much. She was telling her to do things 24/7: "Cherrypaw, fetch me that piece of fresh-kill. I've hunted _so_ much today, my legs just can't manage to walk that far" well, okay, the last sentence wasn't actually said by Magpieflight, it was just imagined by Cherrypaw as a follow-up to the order. If it wasn't fresh-kill or herbs it was moss for Magpieflight's bedding. Once it was a demand that Cherrypaw make Magpieflight's bed tidy. It made Cherrypaw furious that she was treated like... _dirt_.

Yesterday, though, Cherrypaw had finally had enough. She had put up with it for a while, hoping that it was only a passing thing, and that maybe Magpieflight was not feeling very well, or something similar. But, as the days went by, it didn't seem very likely. So Cherrypaw had confronted Magpieflight about it...

*

"Magpieflight! I am _not_ putting up with you ordering me about! I'm _not _putting up with it for one second more!" Cherrypaw had declared angrily. She had seen Magpieflight sitting next to Thornpaw, and overheard her complaining about how her fur was getting really dry and dusty. Thornpaw looked mortified to be talking about something like that, and he was obviously looking around for something to cause a diversion, so that he could make an escape.

"What is it, Cherrypaw?" Magpieflight purred, her tone as sweet as honey. Her eyes were round and innocent, like a kit's, and Cherrypaw growled in frustration. She hated Magpieflight acting this way. What had gotten into her? Was it something that Cherrypaw had done? No, it couldn't be. Not really.

"_You_. I want to talk to you. _Alone_," Cherrypaw growled at Magpieflight. Thornpaw sighed a sigh of relief, and shot off, glad to have an excuse to go.

"Cherrypaw, my darling," Magpieflight began, but Cherrypaw spoke over the top of her.

"Cut it _out_, okay? I am not your _darling_, your _dear friend_, your _sweetheart_, your _honey_ or anything else you have called me that is even remotely similar!" Cherrypaw hissed. She hated to be called 'dear', even by her own mother. She found it rather childish, but Rosefur had always insisted on calling her that, so Cherrypaw had been forced to accept it. But Magpieflight wasn't her mother.

"Cherrypaw, please tell me why you are so... _mad_," Magpieflight looked genuinely shocked... and hurt. Cherrypaw felt a surge of pleasure at seeing her friend hurt at her words. She quickly suppressed it, telling herself that she was being stupid. It shouldn't please her to see Magpieflight hurt. But it wasn't a physical hurt. It was just that Cherrypaw liked the fact that Magpieflight's armour seemed to have been shattered, for a moment, at least.

"Can I talk to you... away from the others?" Cherrypaw forced herself to talk civilly.

"Yes, of course, hon--," Magpieflight stopped the last word from escaping, and followed Cherrypaw outside of the camp, and they kept walking for about fifteen minutes.

When Cherrypaw was certain that nobody was listening, she blurted out, "I am fed up with you telling me what to do! 'Cherrypaw, fetch some moss for my nest!', 'Cherrypaw, get me that piece of fresh-kill', it's always 'Cherrypaw, get me this' or 'Cherrypaw, tell Gentlebreeze I need this'. I'm fed up with it, okay?"

"But I thought... I thought... you didn't mind," Magpieflight faltered, her voice breaking. _Oh, really, what a baby!_ Cherrypaw thought contemptuously. Magpieflight continued, "If I had known, I would've asked Silverpaw to do those things for me."

"Silverpaw wouldn't have done it. None of the apprentices in ThunderClan are willing to do your bidding," Cherrypaw spat.

"But, Cherrypaw, I'm only _asking_ you to do me a favour, now and then," Magpieflight tried to explain.

"_Asking_ me? _Asking_? No, you're _ordering_ me to do things! I am not your _servant_," Cherrypaw said the word like it was poisonous.

"Please, forgive me. I'm really sorry! I should've known better! I really am sorry!" Magpieflight's eyes brimmed with tears at her friend's words. "Cherrypaw! I've known you since you were born! We've been best friends since kithood!"

"No, you've only been my best friend since _apprentice_hood," Cherrypaw corrected her.

"You never said that! You always told me that I was your best friend, even when we were kits," Magpieflight said, offended.

"Also incorrect. I _never_ said that. I said that you'd been my very _good_ friend from the moment I was old enough to talk and play. You became my best friend when I was a new apprentice."

"Then... who was your best friend... as a kit?" Magpieflight asked tentatively. She looked young. Helpless, almost. Like she was a kit, again, barely able to speak properly.

"Silverpaw was," Cherrypaw said softly. Then she looked up, her eyes fierce, "But that's not the point. The point is that you are treating me like I am no more than an ant that you can step on whenever you want! Like you have the power of life and death over me, and only _you_ can save me from death! Ha! Well, you know what?"

Magpieflight swallowed, and a tear trickled down her cheek. _I so do not deserve this_, she thought silently. And she truly believed it, too. After a moment's hesitation, she asked in a whisper, "What?"

"You're not my best friend any more. You stopped being my best friend the moment you started acting all superior and high-and-mighty," Cherrypaw snarled. She saw Magpieflight flinch, and felt a stab of guilt. She wished that she could take back those words, but they were out. There was no going back. Not now.

"If you w-w-want it th-th-that way. Then, f-f-f-f-f-fine," Magpieflight stammered. She was clearly hurt by Cherrypaw's words, but her pride stopped her from begging Cherrypaw to forgive her. She had already groveled at Cherrypaw's paws enough. She took a deep breath, and said clearly, "I'd better go. Lizardpaw will be wondering where I am."

Cherrypaw had watched as her friend turned to leave, head held high. The moment she was sure that Magpieflight was far enough away so that she couldn't hear her, Cherrypaw burst into tears. Once they started flowing, she couldn't stop them. She told herself to stop. Commanded herself even. But the traitorous tears wouldn't listen. Her eyes kept on brimming up and the tears spilled down relentlessly. If Cherrypaw had had to go back in time and change any moment in her life, it wouldn't have been the moment Rosefur died, even though she would have liked to change that. It wouldn't have been the day her sister had been found dead, and she had cried rivers of tears. It would have been this moment. The moment she had recklessly yelled out her anger at her friend. The hurt in Magpieflight's eyes was too much to bear.

_Oh StarClan! What have I done? I always say the wrong thing, don't I? I always cause trouble and hurt for others. Why is it me that does it? Why? _Cherrypaw thought in silent anguish. She was always saying the wrong thing. Always. Even when she was a kit she said the wrong thing more often than any other kit in the nursery. Cherrypaw heard pawsteps coming towards her, and briefly glimpsed Dovesky's tortoiseshell pelt. Before she knew what she was doing, she was running. Running away. Like she always seemed to do. She could never really stand up against the things that happened to her. She was a coward in more ways than one.

*

It hurt to recall that moment. Cherrypaw winced as she remembered her words. They were so unjust. But she always seemed to do that. She _tried_ to think before she said something, but the words were always spilling out too quickly. Far too quickly. Like a rushing river, never pausing for thought.

She hadn't gone back to camp yesterday. She still hadn't been back today. She couldn't bear the thought of facing all those cats. All Cherrypaw wanted now was some peace and quiet. Time to just... think. That was it. _Think_. That was was she wanted most, now. She knew they would ask questions when she got back. The questions echoed in her mind, "Where have you been?", "Why didn't you come back!", "Cherrypaw! Where _were_ you?", "Look at the state of you! How come you didn't come back!" and she could hear Thrushstar's stern voice, "Cherrypaw, you have been very, very selfish. All of your Clanmates have been very worried about you. I have sent out patrols searching for you! Don't you _ever_ do this again, do you understand me? Now, your punishment will be cleaning out the elders' den for a moon."

The reason they hadn't found her was because she had traveled across WindClan territory, and gone to the Island. It was the only place she was sure nobody would think to look for her. She herself had said to all her fellow apprentices how much the Island 'makes me feel horribly scared and lonely'. But that loneliness was welcome now. Maybe she was overreacting, she knew that it was possible she had gone too far. No, it was _certain_ she had gone too far. Still, Cherrypaw couldn't help but feel that her Clanmates would never forgive her for what she had done. Her Clanmates were like a family, everyone looked after one another. By offending Magpieflight, it was like she had offended her entire _Clan_.

Something shimmered in front of her. The shimmer was replaced by a nearly solid form. A cat form. There were stars in the cat's fur, so Cherrypaw knew that the cat was from StarClan. Where else would it be from? Dark Forest cats didn't come to you when you were awake. Did they?

At first, Cherrypaw thought the cat was her mother. The same glossy red pelt, the same yellow eyes that burned with a fiery determination that you couldn't explain. But the cat was smaller than her mother, and looked much less fierce. The determination was there, but the fierceness of her mother wasn't. It was this little thing, this 'fierceness' that made Cherrypaw absolutely certain that this cat wasn't her mother. But then... who was it?

"Cherrypaw, you have got yourself into a mess, haven't you?" the cat said softly. To Cherrypaw's amazement, the cat's eyes looked amused. "Always saying the wrong thing!"

Cherrypaw stared at the cat in disbelief. What was this cat? A mind-reader? Telepathic? She had thought that none of the StarClan cats could read minds, no matter how good they were in their life. With the possible exception of Jayfeather. Now that was an interesting cat. Somebody who could read _minds_.

"No, I can't read minds. I'm just very good at reading emotions and other cats' faces," the cat laughed. Then she grew sober, "I suppose I should introduce myself. Well, I'm Budrose."

"_What_?!" Cherrypaw exclaimed in shock. "_Budrose_? But... but... I thought..."

"Thought what?" Budrose laughed. "That I couldn't be in StarClan? Well, I can be. Rosefur managed to convince the others to allow me to come to StarClan when I died."

"Why are you here, then? I'm not _dead_, am I?" Cherrypaw's eyes grew wide, and she looked around her in concern.

"No! Don't be silly," Budrose exclaimed. "I'm here because there is a decision you must make tonight. Not like other small decisions, this one is a... very big one. Very important one. You must decide whether to go back or to stay here. If you go back you will discover something very important, and, yet, if you stay you will also discover something important."

Cherrypaw's heart dropped. This was like the elders' tales. Which one was she going to choose? And, she knew, if she chose one, then she would forever wonder what would have happened to her if she _hadn't_ decided to choose what she had. _Thanks so much, StarClan, _she thought bitterly.

"Cherrypaw, you know you must decide before the night turns into day," Budrose said sympathetically. "Everybody has a decision like this to make in their life, and, though I hate to tell you this, there are many who have regretted that decision for the rest of their lives."

Cherrypaw was silent. What could she say to that? It was a very encouraging remark, she thought sarcastically. Then she said, "Can you tell me just a bit about the choices?"

Budrose looked rather alarmed. "Well... I... I could. I'm not allowed to interfere with fate, though."

"Tell me!" Cherrypaw said frantically. "Just a tiny bit!"

"I can't," Budrose sighed. "I'm really sorry, Cherrypaw. You're on your own. But, if you choose to stay here, you will discover something about somebody else. If you go back you will discover something about yourself."

"Oh," Cherrypaw said in a voice full of sadness. "Myself or someone else?"

"Yes. I chose the 'someone else' option... and I ended up where I am. Rosefur chose the same option as myself. But... Pricklepaw chose himself. He chose to find out more about himself," Budrose's voice choked.

"Pricklepaw?"

"He... he... he was my brother. Your uncle," Budrose said in a broken voice. "He died when he was an apprentice, saving your mother's life. That was his choice. He decided to find more out about himself when he went outside the camp and ran into a fox. Rosefur followed him, and he found out that he had it in him to sacrifice his life for someone else."

"Why didn't Rosefur tell me about _either_ of you?"

"She was hurt by my decision to become a kittypet. She was horrified by Pricklepaw's decision to sacrifice himself for her. She wouldn't speak to anybody about Pricklepaw after he died. It was like she couldn't bear to remember him, it was so painful."

"Budrose, can I ask you something?" Cherrypaw ventured after a moment's hesitation.

"Of course," Budrose nodded.

"If I decide to do what Pricklepaw did. Choose his choice, I mean... will I end up like him?" Cherrypaw whispered.

"I can't tell you that," Budrose said sadly. "You're on your own, like I said. Make your decision before the day turns into night, that's all you can do to change fate."

Cherrypaw nodded, and stared at the dark, rippling water in silence. When she looked up, Budrose was gone, and there were only shadows to keep her company. She knew perfectly well that, if Budrose hadn't said anything about the decision making, she would have stayed on the Island. But, now that she knew she had two choices that would change her life, she wasn't going to pick that option. She was going to go back. Back to ThunderClan and face the consequences. She couldn't always run away from things that scared her. One day she would have to face her fears, and tonight might be the best time to start doing that.

Slowly, she got up and began walking towards the fallen tree. She crossed over and padded across WindClan territory, and into ThunderClan's. She could hear nothing except the hooting of owls and the rustle of leaves in the night breeze. Strangely, though, Cherrypaw felt at ease walking through the seemingly deserted woods. She had made her choice, and she knew that she wouldn't regret it. After all, it would be a waste of time sighing over what could have been.

Because she was walking near the lake, she noticed a slight splash nearby. Cherrypaw froze, and turned to where the splash had come from. A dark shape was coming out of the water, and entering ThunderClan territory. Cherrypaw's fur bristled at the sight of an intruder, but she couldn't make a sound, because, for all she knew, the intruder might have back up, and Cherrypaw had nothing of the sort. Instead, Cherrypaw dived for cover behind a nearby bush, and watched as the intruder sat down at the edge of the lake, and began grooming itself. _Strange_, Cherrypaw thought in puzzlement.

"Streamfish? Is that you?" a voice whispered, coming from somewhere on Cherrypaw's right. She shuddered, that voice was far too familiar for comfort. It was definitely one of her Clanmates. Which one? Cherrypaw couldn't bear to think about which of her Clanmates was meeting a cat from another Clan.

"Thornfire!" the cat said delightedly. Cherrypaw's jaw dropped. Thorn_fire_? Did that mean Thornpaw was a warrior, now? How much had she missed in the time she had been gone?

"I so nearly couldn't get out. Branchclaw was really suspicious of me tonight. He was positive I was up to no good," Thornfire told Streamfish in a hushed voice. "Breezepaw suspected something, too. He asked me to help him get some herbs, but I had to refuse."

"You shouldn't have done that!" Streamfish exclaimed in something close to horror. "You'll only have made him even more certain that you're breaking the warrior code."

"Never mind, I'll have to do something tomorrow to make up for it," Thornfire purred. "It's fine by me if Branchclaw and Breezepaw know. After all, Branchclaw is my brother. He wouldn't tell on me. And Breezepaw... well I know a secret of his, too. And he knows that I know."

"What is it?" Streamfish asked curiously. "Can you tell me?"

Cherrypaw's ears pricked up. A _secret_ that the medicine cat apprentice was hiding from the rest of the Clan? It wasn't any small secret, she suspected. Probably quite a big one. Or not... but big enough for Thornfire to be able to make sure that Breezepaw wouldn't tell on him.

"No, I'd love to, but... it's between myself and Breezepaw. You know that Cherrypaw has gone missing?" Thornfire changed the subject.

"Not _Cherrypaw_! Not Rosefur's daughter! Why?"

"Well, she was last seen going out of the camp with Magpieflight. Thrushstar thinks it has something to do with what Magpieflight said to her. Or vice versa. Certainly, Cherrypaw was very angry with Magpieflight about something when I last saw her," Thornfire informed Streamfish. Cherrypaw felt her fur rising. She wished she hadn't shown her anger in such a public way, it would have been better to ask to speak to Magpieflight calmly and civilly.

"I don't like Magpieflight," Streamfish declared in a clear voice. "She's too... controlling and proud. She gets too full on herself. Just the other night at the Gathering, she was boasting about this and that to me. I'm glad Cherrypaw was angry at her, and showed it. It's good for Magpieflight to have a knock on the head."

Cherrypaw's eyes widened. Magpieflight was _controlling and proud_? Never! Maybe she was a bit full on herself, but that was just Magpieflight being herself. She certainly wouldn't have guessed that cats from other Clans got that sort of impression from Magpieflight. As far as Cherrypaw knew, Magpieflight was calm and civil among the other Clan cats. Dovesky and Cherrypaw were the only ones Magpieflight had ever been visibly angry with.

"So you're on Cherrypaw's side?" Thornfire asked curiously, his voice hushed.

"I haven't ever met her, but she sounds okay. Maybe a slightly... weird character. If I talk to one of ThunderClan's cats I get a good impression of her, but then I talk to another ThunderClan cat and I get a bad impression. What do you think?" Streamfish replied. Rather wisely, too, Cherrypaw thought. It was usually best to find out the opinion of the one who asked you a question giving your opinion. But, if everyone did that, nobody would get round to answering anything.

"She's fine," Thornfire answered. "She's awfully quiet sometimes, though. Rosefur's death hit her rather hard. She was always so fond of her mother, and Rosefur adored her. They were really close, you know. Cherrypaw has never been quite the same since her mother died... it's a shame, really, she was so cheerful and energetic before that. And then Magpieflight fell in love with Lizardpaw. For some reason, Cherrypaw resents Lizardpaw. Maybe it's because he's a kittypet, or maybe it goes further than that. Whatever it is, she doesn't like him. That was really the start of her 'breakdown'."

_Breakdown_? What _is_ he talking about? And why is he talking like that to a cat from another Clan! She might tell her leader all of this, and then Freestar will know that ThunderClan has lost one cat. Really, is Thornfire utterly out of his mind? Cherrypaw seethed with rage at Thornfire revealing all of ThunderClan's secrets to an outsider.

"What do you mean, 'breakdown'?" Streamfish asked, intrigued. Cherrypaw could see that Streamfish was the kind of cat who yearned for knowledge about everything. The kind of cat you could ask almost any question and get an immediate answer.

"Well, she was _really_ quiet for the first moon. Then she started having weird mood-swings. One minute she was happy, the next minute she was gloomy. It's like she's carrying a burden that she can't throw off, no matter how hard she tries. Sure, she _does_ try her best to cover up how she's feeling, but, really, nobody in the Clan, not even the kits, are fooled by it," Thornfire sighed. "It's rather annoying, because when one cat is feeling down, all of us feel it."

"Interesting," Streamfish seemed rather deep in thought. "Maybe she's lonely? After all, her mother's dead, and her best friend is too busy spending time with this Lizardpaw to notice her much. The rest of the Clan are probably all paired off, anyhow. Right?"

Thornfire's voice had a shocked edge to it, "You think that she's _lonely_? Well... ye-es... now that you put it that way..."

Streamfish purred, "Forget about it for the moment. We didn't risk our reputations just to talk about another cat's problems, did we?"

Cherrypaw's attention drifted from their conversation. Well, eavesdroppers weren't renowned for hearing what they wanted to hear. But she had learned something... a truth about herself that she wasn't very willing to acknowledge. Now that another cat had spoken the truth aloud, it wasn't possible not to admit it. She _was_ lonely. None of the cats so far in ThunderClan really understood her like Magpieflight and Rosefur had done. Not even Silverpaw, though Cherrypaw enjoyed her company. _Don't pity yourself, be glad that you can now admit the truth_, Cherrypaw told herself sternly. A small part of her was glad, but a larger part of her wasn't.

She heard the two cats moving further away, and quickly turned around. She began to head for the camp, keeping well away from where she thought Streamfish and Thornfire were. The closer she got to the camp, the more nervous she felt. Cherrypaw was sure that she would get quite a few cold stares from whoever was awake when she entered the camp, but she knew that she had brought it on herself. It was her fault that she had run away, and she had to face the consequences.

Cherrypaw paused at the entrance to the camp, and sighed. She wished that she didn't feel so nervous coming back, this _was_ her home, after all. Nevertheless, she _did _feel nervous. Cautiously, she looked around for the cat who would be guarding the camp entrance. At first, she couldn't see any cat, and then, as she looked more carefully, she made out the dark figure of a cat crouched a little way away from the camp entrance, barely visible in the shadows. Cherrypaw sniffed the air, trying to work out which cat it was. Branchclaw. Of course, Branchclaw had always been the best at remaining inconspicuous, so he would have been the perfect choice for a lookout.

Branchclaw stirred and whispered, "Cherrypaw? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, it's me," Cherrypaw stammered nervously. She imagined Branchclaw leaping at her and telling her to get out of ThunderClan territory.

Branchclaw stepped quietly out of the shadows and purred, "Silverpaw will be delighted. She misses you dreadfully, you know. Why did you run off like that?"

"I... I... I wasn't thinking properly. I was just a bit... upset," Cherrypaw managed to say. She could feel a lump in her throat. "Do you think Thrushstar will let me come back?"

Branchclaw sniggered, "Are you kidding? Let you come back? Even if he didn't want to, Silverpaw would have ordered him to allow you to come back. Magpieflight would, too. She's been feeling terribly guilty. She blames herself for making you run away. Don't worry about it, though. Thrushstar will be quite happy to have you back, trust me."

"You sure?" Cherrypaw said doubtfully. It was reassuring to hear Branchclaw say that Thrushstar would be happy to have her back, but Branchclaw sometimes got things wrong.

"Absolutely certain," Branchclaw said with... certainty. "Just get inside the camp, Cherrypaw, and you'll soon realise that I'm right."

Cherrypaw purred and said gratefully, "Thanks, Branchclaw."

"For what?"

"For making me feel better about coming back."

"No problem. Now, go _in_ already. I'm not going to wait all night," Branchclaw ordered, then he went back to hide in the shadows.

Cherrypaw slowly stepped into the camp, and looked around. It looked practically deserted at first sight, but then she heard a murmuring of voices coming from Gentlebreeze's den. Carefully, she padded over to the medecine cat den, and peeked in.

At first, it was so dark that she couldn't see anything. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she made out five figures. She recognised Thrushstar, Gentlebreeze, Breezepaw and Silverpaw. She didn't recognise the last cat, although the voice was familiar. Then she widened her eyes in shock as she identified the fifth cat. Lizardpaw. What was _he_ doing in the medecine cat den at night time?

Silverpaw looked up suddenly, and sniffed the air, "Hey! Do you guys smell that? Is that... Cherrypaw!"

Before she knew what was happening, Cherrypaw was lying flat on the ground with Silverpaw leaning over her excitedly. She could hear Silverpaw saying, "I _knew_ she would come back! She wouldn't desert ThunderClan when we need her most! She knew that she was important in the prophecy! Cherrypaw's much smarter than she looks, you know."

"Silverpaw! Quiet!" Thrushstar ordered sternly. "Not everybody knows about the prophecy. Cherrypaw, come into the medecine cat den, _now_."

Cherrypaw winced, and rose slowly to her feet. Then she walked slowly into the medecine cat den, and sat down in a corner. Unsure what to do next, she began to groom herself. It made her feel considerably better, because it took her mind off other things.

"Cherrypaw...," a voice said quietly. Cherrypaw's head shot up, and she saw Lizardpaw standing awkwardly in front of her.

"Yes?" Cherrypaw said guardedly.

"Magpieflight is really sorry, you know. You will forgive her, won't you? She's been a real killjoy since you went," Lizardpaw started. Then he took a deep breath, "And, I just wanted you to know, I'm sorry about Rosefur. I didn't realise that you had just lost her. If I had, I would have been more sympathetic... will you forgive me?"

Cherrypaw stared at him in shock. He was _apologising_? She knew she had to say that she forgave him, or Magpieflight would be furious. Cherrypaw swallowed hard, and said quietly, "Yes, I forgive you. It's really me who should be apologising, though. I was the one who insulted you because you were a kittypet. It was really mean of me."

Lizardpaw chuckled, "Don't worry about it."

"Okay, Cherrypaw, we have something very important to tell you," Thrushstar said as he entered the medicine cat den again. Cherrypaw heart thumped in fear.

"Yes, Cherrypaw, you know that prophecy that we received from StarClan? Well, we finally know who the bud is," Gentlebreeze said softly. She always spoke softly. "It's you, Cherrypaw. You're the daughter of Rosefur. You're the _bud_. Roses have buds. Rosefur had you. You understand?"

"Ye-es...," Cherrypaw faltered. She did understand, now. "But what about the lizard in the prophecy?"

"Oh, that is Lizardpaw. _One death will be of roses, the next of thorns. The rest will follow unless the bud learns, to be like the lizard among the ferns_," Gentlebreeze murmured. "It says 'the rest will follow'. And that part has come true. Last night... well, last night Sunpelt died. He was wounded yesterday, on a border patrol. The border patrol came across some WindClan warriors stealing prey from ThunderClan... you know what Sunpelt is like. He always rushes into things without thinking. Lizardpaw and Cloudfur were with him, and they managed to fight off the WindClan cats. When Sunpelt was dragged into camp by Lizardpaw and Cloudfur, he was barely alive. I tried my best, but I knew that he was in StarClan's paws. They took him away at moon-high."

Cherrypaw sat silently in the shadowy corner of the medecine cat den. She didn't know what to say. It was her fault that Sunpelt had died, the prophecy stated clearly that it was Cherrypaw who had the power to stop the cats dying like this. If only she understood the prophecy _fully_.

Thrushstar's eyes looked dull and tired as he whispered, "Brightshine is ill. She has some sort of illness that Gentlebreeze has only ever heard of. We don't know what has made her ill..."

She felt a stab of sympathy for her leader. Brightshine was his mate, and mother of Leafkit, Dapplekit and Forestkit. If Brightshine died, the three kits would be motherless, and Cherrypaw knew only how terrible it was to lose one of your parents. She herself had lost both. She wondered how her mother had felt when Cinderclaw had died. Cherrypaw had never loved any other cat apart from her sister and her mother, she hadn't known her father, so there she didn't feel almost any pain when she thought of him. The only pain she felt when she thought of Cinderclaw was when she wished she had known her father.

"We mustn't waste time," Breezepaw said sharply. Cherrypaw was surprised at the lack of sympathy Breezepaw showed for his leader. "There are things Cherrypaw must know."

Silverpaw nodded, "Yes! You see, Pricklepaw came to visit Gentlebreeze in a dream... you do know who Pricklepaw is, don't you?"

"Yes, Bud-," Cherrypaw stopped herself from telling them that Budrose had informed Cherrypaw that Rosefur had had a brother. If she told them that Budrose had visited her, she felt sure that they would ask questions. She wasn't in the mood to answer the questions they might ask.

"You do?" Gentlebreeze asked curiously.

Silverpaw talked over the top of Gentlebreeze, "And Pricklepaw said that, in one week, when there is only a sliver of moon that we can see, you must go to the horse-place. He said that a cat called Budrose would guide you from there."

"I have to leave ThunderClan?"

"Yes, I know that you have only just come back, but Pricklepaw was very insistent. He nearly panicked when we said that you weren't here. Then Budrose assured him that you would come back to ThunderClan by midnight tonight. She kept her word," Thrushstar explained.

"Cherrypaw," Gentlebreeze said gently, "this is your destiny. StarClan has been preparing you for this since the day you could first open your eyes. Everything that has happened to you has happened for a reason. Nevertheless, it is your choice. Will you go to the horse-place on the night of the new moon? Or will you stay here?"

_NO! I will NOT go! I can't! I'm not strong enough for this! Why me? There are plenty of other cats who could do this...this...mission,_ Cherrypaw screamed mentally. _I don't want to go!_

"Cherrypaw, it is your choice. You chose to come back and find out more about yourself, didn't you? Choose to stay, and you will know that you are strong enough to face other cats, and deny them, and, by doing this, you will know that you will one day show no fear in front of other cats. Choose to go, and you will know that you are strong enough to face _yourself_, and deny what you want most, but, by denying what you want most, you are also doing what is best for you. Not only that, but you will be unafraid of yourself. Which do you think is most important? Not to fear yourself, or not to fear other creatures?" Budrose's voice said softly in Cherrypaw's ear. "You cannot postpone your choice any longer. Choose now. If you choose correctly, you won't regret your choice."

_Ha! Put it that way, and any cat would choose exactly what I'm about to choose_, Cherrypaw thought with a touch of bitterness.

"Cherrypaw?" Silverpaw prompted excitedly. Her eyes were gleaming, and her ears were pricked forward in anticipation. Silverpaw was having no trouble deciding what Cherrypaw should say.

Cherrypaw breathed in and out, and then said:

"I'll go."

**Woot! I finished that chapter! I just love climaxes! Even though mine aren't exactly exciting, but they work okay. So, I have _finally_ finished the 6th Chapter after about two months of scribbling, and erasing, and starting again. Three cheers for me! Okay, enough jubilation. **

**If you think that chapter was okay, please write in a review! Even if you don't, tell me how I can improve my future chapters. I welcome any criticism, as long as it is _helpful_ criticism. Not any 'Your story's dumb' type criticism. Tell me _why_ my story isn't good, and I'll be thankful. Okay! R&R! This is Fioralba over and out! ( Until the next chapter is published, of course )**


	8. Chapter 7: New Arrivals

**Thanks to Crystalrose368, Hawksky and Sobe1 for reviewing!**

**Okay, so, like before, I haven't managed to... erm, update very quickly. I have dozens of excuses ( again ), but I won't tire you with them. I was also re-reading some of my previous chapters and I thought 'what absolute rubbish', actually, I thought a ruder word, but I won't write it down. The paragraphs weren't long enough, and the events happened too quickly. Ah well, I'm going to _try_ to improve. This chapter will mark the start of my longer paragraphs... I hope. And here is my chapter!**

New Arrivals

"Oh, Daisyflight, they're beautiful!" Magpieflight cooed, gazing adoringly at the three kits that were snuggled next to Daisyflight. She turned her gaze to the white kit, and exclaimed, "That one looks just like you!"

Daisyflight chuckled, but it was obvious that she agreed with what Magpieflight had said about the kits being beautiful. She tenderly picked up a tabby kit that had crawled to the edge of the mossy nest, and deposited it next to its siblings, wrapping her fluffy tail around all of them.

"What are you going to call them? Which ones are boys and which are girls?" Cherrypaw asked curiously, resisting the urge to prod one, just to make sure it was real. To her they didn't really look very adorable. They looked rather... scrawny. She knew that they would look better when they were a few weeks old, but how anybody could call something that looked like they did right now 'cute' or 'beautiful' was beyond her. Perhaps Magpieflight was just trying to be nice to Daisyflight. Then again, her friend's voice had had a ring of truth in it, so maybe Magpieflight was simply the kind who adored babies. Cherrypaw suppressed a shudder as she thought of what Cherrypaw herself had looked like at that age.

"Well, this white one is a boy, and he's called... Whitekit, after the Whitestorm, the warrior in the time of the Great Move. This tabby one is a girl, and she's called Brindlekit, after Brindleface, the mother of Ferncloud and Ashfur," Daisyflight answered. It struck Cherrypaw as odd that Daisyflight had named her kit after a cat that had died so many moons ago she was barely remembered. Perhaps Brindleface's story was special to Daisyflight.

"And what's the grey one called? I wish I had kits of my own," Magpieflight said dreamily, gazing lovingly at the kits. Cherrypaw looked at Magpieflight in astonishment. Did Magpieflight really want to have kits _that_ soon? Or was she simply enamoured of the new arrivals because she liked kits on the whole? She certainly hadn't shown much interest in Brightshine's kits... _Brightshine... I wonder how she's feeling?_ Cherrypaw thought distractedly, glancing in the direction of the medecine cat den, where Brightshine was residing.

"He's called Stormkit, after Greystripe's son," Daisyflight replied, beaming at her kits. "They've got a lot to live up to, haven't they? I suppose I _should've_ named Brindlekit 'Featherkit', after Greystripe's daughter, but... Brindlekit is a nice name, and not very common, either. It's a lot of responsibility, Magpieflight, having kits. But it's worth it."

"Why did you name them all after warriors from before the Great Move?" Cherrypaw enquired. That was what everyone called the move from the Old Lands to the New Lands. It wasn't very original, but, honestly, how many 'great moves' do you get? Not many, Cherrypaw would've thought.

"That was a wonderful time, Cherrypaw. Things seemed much less complicated in many ways than they do nowadays," Daisyflight said wistfully. She had a faraway look in her eyes. "It was a time when kittypets and rogues could become warriors, and become great. It was a time of... excitement. It was the era of Firestar, and what he did for ThunderClan won't be forgotten."

Magpieflight frowned, taking offense, "You're saying that we don't live in a time of excitement now? And, as for the kittypet bit, Lizardpaw was a kittypet before he joined the Clan, and he _will_ become great!"

"Maybe," Daisyflight chuckled, looking rather amused. "He'll be glad to know that you have such confidence in him, I'm sure."

Cherrypaw looked down at Daisyflight's three kits, and then glanced over at three other kits who were in the nursery. Brightshine's kits. They were supposed to have been made apprentices a moon ago, but it had been postponed because of all that had happened in the last moon. Now Thrushstar had decided that they would became apprentices that afternoon. It was late for a kit to become an apprentice, as they were seven moons old now, but better late than never was what Thrushstar had said.

"Do you know how Brightshine is?" Daisyflight said in a whisper, noticing that Cherrypaw was looking at Brightshine's kits. Daisyflight and Brightshine were very good friends, especially since Lilyflower, Silverpaw's mother, had moved out of the nursery.

"Gentlebreeze says that Brightshine's condition is stable, but could take a turn for the worse. It's unfortunate that she won't be able to see her kits become apprentices," Magpieflight replied quietly. Magpieflight was so considerate when things like this happened, Cherrypaw thought, that she might as well have been a medecine cat, had it not been for her desire to have kits.

"I know... I feel like I have to be a mother to her kits, too. At least they still have both parents, though. Branchclaw and Thornfire have neither father nor mother," Daisyflight said softly, and looked down at her kits. Cherrypaw appreciated the fact that Daisyflight hadn't included Cherrypaw as unfortunate, as Cherrypaw didn't have any living family. At least, not that Daisyflight knew of. Cherrypaw herself knew that she had Gingerpaw. But Gingerpaw was in another Clan.

"Did Thrushstar specify the time of the apprentice ceremony?" Magpieflight asked curiously. She had become an apprentice at dusk, which she was very proud of, for reasons Cherrypaw could never quite understand. It didn't really make much difference to Cherrypaw whether you were made an apprentice in the afternoon or morning, as long as you were made one.

"He wants his kits to be made apprentices at the same time as Brightshine, sun-high. I'm surprised he even remembers what time Brightshine was made an apprentice," Daisyflight snorted in disbelief. "Lionleap didn't remember what time _I_ was made an apprentice."

"Maybe he doesn't, but he still loves you, right?" Magpieflight asked, a touch anxiously. Cherrypaw wondered why Magpieflight was concerned about something that was rightfully Daisyflight's own affair. It was a bit rude of her to ask that, Cherrypaw thought.

"I guess so," Daisyflight purred. She didn't seem genuinely concerned about it. Probably because she trusted Lionleap so completely that it didn't even occur to her to think about whether he loved her or not. Daisyflight and Lionleap were everyone's ideal couple, they didn't need to spend each and every minute with each other, yet they still gave the impression that they were closer than some cats who spent every minute of every day with one another.

"Forestkit, Leafkit, Dapplekit," Daisyflight said suddenly, carefully rising from her mossy nest, taking care that she didn't disturb her sleeping kits. She prodded Forestkit, Leafkit, and Dapplekit in turn, telling them to wake up. "Come on, you three, it's time to get ready for your ceremony."

Cherrypaw looked at the kits quietly, remembering how she had felt the day of her apprentice ceremony. Rockpaw had been so excited, he had barely been able to stand still for a moment. Cherrypaw, on the other hand, had been excited, but had also felt sad. She had been leaving kithood forever, never again would she feel so free and happy, without a care in the world. It hadn't helped that Cinderkit had died shortly before the apprentice ceremony, either.

Deciding it would be best to leave Daisyflight and Magpieflight to wake up the sleepy kits, she crept out of the nursery, and blinked in the sudden brightness of the day. It was surprising to see how high the sun was, as when she had entered the nursery, it had only been a few hours after dawn. Sun-high. Well, Thrushstar could afford to wait a few extra minutes if it meant that his kits were fully awake for the ceremony. Unlike Dovesky, who had been literally falling asleep at her ceremony. Cherrypaw chuckled as she remembered how Magpieflight had been nudging Dovesky frantically to keep her awake.

"Hey, Cherrypaw!" Silverpaw called from near the fresh-kill pile, where she was talking animatedly to Branchclaw and Thornfire. At least, she was talking to Branchclaw. Thornfire had a faraway look about it. Daydreaming about Streamfish, Cherrypaw assumed. This was like a repeat of the stories the elders told about Greystripe and Silverstream, or Leafpool and Crowfeather. Of course, most elders preferred to avoid the stories about Leafpool. They considered her a disgrace to medecine cats. She had, after all, promised not to take on a mate, nor have any kits. She had broken two rules there, and had been the cause of her own daughter's death. Then again, if she _hadn't_ had kits with Crowfeather, none of her kits would have been born. Life was _really _confusing, at times. Cherrypaw shook her head.

"Hi, Silverpaw, Branchclaw, Thornfire," Cherrypaw acknowledged them as she picked up a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. Branchclaw made a sound that was supposed to be a greeting, but sounded more like a groan, Cherrypaw assumed this was because his mouth was full, although it was possible that he wasn't happy to see her. Thornfire, on the other hand, didn't say anything. He was still staring at the entrance/exit to the camp, looking more than a little dreamy. Cherrypaw repeated herself, as he obviously hadn't heard her the first time, "Hi, Thornfire."

Thornfire blinked, and his eyes turned to Cherrypaw. He looked puzzled, and then realised what she had said. "Oh, hi. How are you? Sorry, I was just... thinking."

Branchclaw swallowed, and looked at his brother curiously. Branchclaw could be annoying that way, he didn't like to let things go easily. A trait that was inherited from his father, from what Cherrypaw remembered of Thornstar. After seemingly sorting out what he wanted to say, Branchclaw asked, "Thinking? What about? Will you let us in on your thoughts?"

Thornfire looked alarmed. Cherrypaw glanced at him sympathetically, she could understand why he wouldn't want to acknowledge what he really _had_ been thinking about. Perhaps she should distract Branchclaw. Was there any interesting piece of gossip that she had heard recently? Anything interesting going on in camp that most cats wouldn't have noticed? _Let me see... um..._, Cherrypaw thought hard, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Well? Thornfire? You still with us?" Silverpaw said, her eyes wide. Silverpaw and Branchclaw were probably the worst cats for gossiping... unless you counted Rockpaw. Who was, luckily, not there at the moment. He had gone hunting with his mentor, Blueclaw, earlier that day, and wasn't expected back for a little while yet. Which, Cherrypaw had to admit, she was heartily thankful for. Rockpaw wasn't the most sensitive cat when it came to reading what other cats were feeling.

"I was just wondering what ShadowClan were up to," Thornfire said quickly. Too quickly. It was too obvious he was trying to hide something. What he had said would only spark Branchclaw's interest in his brother's thoughts.

_C'mon, Cherrypaw. Think. What gossip have you heard lately? Anything remotely interesting will do. Think, think, think... oh! I know! _Cherrypaw purred as she found what she had been searching for. An interesting observation that would distract _both_ Silverpaw and Branchclaw, even if just for a few minutes, or maybe less. Cherrypaw affected a casual air, and said, "Have any of you seen Tigerstripe or Dovesky lately?"

"No, why?" Thornfire caught on quickly, shooting her a grateful look.

"Oh, it's just that they both disappear off on a patrol or out hunting, much more often than they used to. _Conveniently_ they both disappear off at the same time," Cherrypaw said in satisfaction. It was true, and she was happy for her mentor. The only problem with him being so busy was that Cherrypaw hardly had a moment to train. Which meant that Thrushstar wouldn't be performing her warrior ceremony any time soon.

Silverpaw's eyes brightened, and she squealed happily, "You're right! They _do_! Oh, this is great!"

Branchclaw looked thoughtful, which alarmed Cherrypaw. When Branchclaw looked thoughtful, it usually wasn't a good sign, "It might just be a coincidence. After all, my father and my mother tried to _avoid_ each other before they became mates. So did Silverpaw's parents, apparently. And everyone thought my father would become mates with Cloudfur, but they didn't like each other in that way."

_Much you know about Cloudfur. Last time I checked, she was still grieving over Thornstar's death. She loved him, you idiot. And you say that she didn't like him as anything more than a friend? Oh, come _on_, _Cherrypaw thought contemptuously. Then she reminded herself that she'd only found out when Thornstar had just died, and Cloudfur had let her disguise slip for an instant. Some cats were sure clever about hiding their true feelings.

"Tigerstripe isn't that kind of cat," Silverpaw said superiorly. "I should know! My mother is his _sister_, and she said that he's the type of cat who can't keep secrets, and can't hide his emotions well."

Cherrypaw rolled her eyes as Branchclaw launched into his obviously well thought-out theory on how cats hide their feelings and how it was possible that Tigerstripe and Dovesky were only doing it to make somebody else jealous. Cherrypaw decided to leave them, and noticed that Thornfire had already made a dash for it, and was now sitting next to Gentlebreeze, talking.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Thrushstar yowled suddenly, causing Cherrypaw to jump, and look around nervously. Then she realised that Thrushstar must be about to perform the apprentice ceremony for his kits, and relaxed.

"I'm gonna be an _apprentice_! Finally! I won't be stuck with all you stupid she-cats!" Forestkit whispered loudly with excitement, his blue eyes sparkling. Pigeonfeather, who was sitting next to him, scolded him and began to explain quietly that she-cats were not stupid, only misunderstood.

Cherrypaw chuckled as she heard Forestkit arguing with Pigeonfeather, and then turned her attention back to Thrushstar, who was beaming at his kits. There was a sadness in his eyes, though, and Cherrypaw wondered whether Brightshine had taken a turn for worse. _I hope not_, Cherrypaw thought, alarmed.

"Lightfoot, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor Forestpaw. Lightfoot, you have shown yourself to be quick-thinking and brave. I now ask you to pass on all you know to this apprentice," Thrushstar announced. The cats cheered, especially Silverpaw, who looked on with delight as her father touched noses with his new apprentice. Both Forestpaw and Lightfoot padded off, and sat down next to Silverpaw, who began to bombard her father and Forestpaw with congratulations.

"Cloudfur, you have shown yourself to be worthy of taking on an apprentice, and you will now mentor Leafpaw. Cloudfur, you have proven yourself to be wise and compassionate and I hope that you will pass on all you know to this apprentice," Thrushstar continued proudly, as he watched his daughter step forward and touch noses with her mentor, and then join the crowd of watching cats.

"I bet Thrushstar will take on Dapplekit as his own apprentice," Silverpaw had walked over to where Cherrypaw was sitting, and had plunked herself down next to Cherrypaw. "Dapplekit is his favourite kit, I'm sure of it, because she looks like her mother more than any of the others."

"Let's see," Cherrypaw murmured. What Silverpaw had said was right, though. Dapplekit _was_ undoubtedly Thrushstar's favourite, and it wouldn't surprise her at all if he did decide to make her his apprentice. Then again, he might want to avoid showing an obvious sign of favouritism, and instead apprentice her to another cat. Cherrypaw's mind ran through the list of cats without apprentices, realising that the only experienced warriors left without an apprentice were Lilyflower and Lionleap. The other four were Dovesky, Magpieflight, Thornfire, and Branchclaw. It would be interesting to see which one he picked.

Thrushstar's eyes looked troubled, and Cherrypaw could tell that he was having second thoughts about whoever he had picked to mentor Dapplekit. _Hurry up! Cats are going to get suspicious if you take much longer_, she urged her leader. Not that he could hear her.

"Lilyflower, you are an experienced warrior and have proven yourself to be an excellent mentor," Thrushstar finally said, and Cherrypaw sighed with relief. For a moment she had been worried he'd pick one of the four new warriors, who, though good warriors, probably weren't prepared to take on an apprentice so soon. Lilyflower had mentored two cats, both had died in the last leaf-bare, which had been particularly harsh. Thrushstar continued, "You will now mentor Dapplepaw. Lilyflower, you are wise and calm in both battle and everyday life, and I hope you will pass down all you know to Dapplepaw."

"Forestpaw! Leafpaw! Dapplepaw!" the cats of ThunderClan chanted enthusiastically. Dapplepaw's large blue eyes shone with delight as the cats swarmed over to where she was sitting next to her siblings and started congratulating them. She was a sweet thing, unlike her sister Leafpaw, who was cunning and could be manipulative. Recalling the time that Leafpaw and Silverpaw had argued about who was to be Feathertail and who was to be Squirrelflight, Cherrypaw couldn't help but feel relieved that Cloudfur was Leafpaw's mentor. Cloudfur was a firm cat, who knew how to handle disobedient kits and apprentices.

Cherrypaw trotted over to the three new apprentices and congratulated Leafpaw and Dapplepaw. Then she whispered in Forestpaw's ears, "I'm glad you think so terribly highly of she-cats. Let's hope that attitude changes in the next couple of moons, or I can see you'll be having a tough time with the she-cats of _this_ Clan."

Forestpaw glanced at her in alarm, and then purred, "Well, so long as you and Silverpaw give me an easy time, I reckon I'll manage to change my attitude. Thanks for congratulating me."

Cherrypaw chuckled, "Oh, sorry. I kinda forgot. Yeah, congratulations on becoming an apprentice. You've got a good mentor, you know."

Forestpaw's eyes shone with excitement, "I know! Can't wait to start training! Hmm, Lightfoot! Lightfoot!"

Cherrypaw shook her head in mock sorrow as Forestpaw dashed after his mentor, who had been about to leave the camp. She felt sorry for Lightfoot, knowing that the next few days with Forestpaw would wear him out. But then, Lightfoot had _Silverpaw_ for a daughter, so he was probably used to over-excited and over-enthusiastic apprentices.

* * *

"Cherrypaw, wake up," Lizardpaw nudged her. Cherrypaw's eyes flickered open, and she looked at him in puzzlement, then yawned. "Cherrypaw, come on! We've got to go to the horse-place!"

Cherrypaw's eyes widened as she remembered, and she stretched. Then she got up and followed Lizardpaw out of the apprentice den. Then she blinked as she realised what Lizardpaw had said. Startled, she whispered, "What do you mean... _we_? You're not coming! You can't! Magpieflight will want to come, if you come! And then Dovesky will want to come! And then Tigerstripe, and then Lilyflower, because Tigerstripe's her brother! And then Silverpaw will want to come! And, if Silverpaw is allowed to go, Rockpaw will want to go!"

Lizardpaw sighed, and then shook his head. "You really don't understand, do you? You're not the only one in the prophecy, remember? _I'm_ in it as well. And, anyway, Silverpaw has decided that she needs to come. It'll take a lot to convince her otherwise."

"Oh StarClan no!" Cherrypaw moaned. She was going to endanger more cats by doing this. Lizardpaw, she understood, had to go. But not Silverpaw! Silverpaw would probably be a pain. Then she felt guilty for thinking of Silverpaw in that way. _I was the one who ignored Silverpaw until she became an apprentice_, Cherrypaw reminded herself. _And it's only fair that she'd want to go on an adventure of a life-time, even if it's only down to the horse-place and back again. Though, somehow, I doubt that the journey is going to be that short_.

"I suppose you won't want to say good-bye to Magpieflight?" Lizardpaw said suddenly, pausing in front of the warriors' den. Cherrypaw shook her head sadly. Magpieflight would be furious if she realised that Cherrypaw had left without saying good-bye, but she couldn't risk it.

Lizardpaw shrugged, and padded towards the medecine cat den, slipping inside. Cherrypaw followed him, wondering whether Gentlebreeze had asked to speak to them before they left. It was more likely that Gentlebreeze had a few tips on what herbs to use or where certain herbs were found.

"Gentlebreeze? Breezepaw? Silverpaw? Bran-" Lizardpaw cut himself short, glancing at Cherrypaw worriedly. _What was he about to say? _Cherrypaw wondered. _Something I wouldn't like, I guess._

"Over here," Silverpaw's voice piped up. "Branchclaw was feeling a bit... sick. So Gentlebreeze had to give him a few of her herbs. She's afraid he's the next one to go. I certainly hope not. Branchclaw has only just been made warrior, and it'd be a sad loss to the Clan if he... why, Cherrypaw, what's wrong?"

Cherrypaw felt sick herself. 'The next one to go' was what Silverpaw had said. That could only mean one thing. Brightshine had died overnight. And Branchclaw was coming down with something that would, more likely than not, kill him. And it was her fault. Cherrypaw's fault. If she had understood the prophecy earlier, this wouldn't have happened. If... if... if... 'ifs' wouldn't get her anywhere. She had to ask Silverpaw what she meant. But her mouth felt dry, and she couldn't say anything.

"You didn't tell her?" Silverpaw asked Lizardpaw, who shook his head. "Why not? She was supposed to know!" Then Silverpaw turned to Cherrypaw, her eyes sad, although she said nothing.

"Branchclaw is going to come with you, though," Breezepaw's voice whispered, coming from somewhere behind Silverpaw. He stepped out of the shadows and bowed his head, "StarClan came to me last night, and they said that a son of the thorn would have to come. They didn't specify whether they meant Branchclaw or Thornfire, but Thornfire... didn't want to come. Branchclaw was more than happy to, though."

Cherrypaw could guess why Thornfire wouldn't want to come. He would probably be leaving Streamfish, if this journey to the horse-place resulted in a bigger journey. And he also knew it would be considered cowardly to turn back if he started on the journey.

Nobody spoke for a while. There was nothing much to say, or, rather, there was nothing to say that wasn't a secret. Like Thornfire's relationship with Streamfish. That was something Cherrypaw would never dare say out loud unless it was really necessary. Even then she would be doubtful as to whether it was the right thing to do. Revealing your own secrets was okay, as long as you knew you wouldn't regret it afterwards. Revealing someone else's... now that was a different matter altogether.

Finally, Branchclaw coughed and murmured, "Okay, I feel better... can we go now? I'd hate to keep Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw waiting."

Silverpaw scowled darkly at him, and muttered, "You could at least acknowledge my existence, jerk. I'm going as well! Toms..."

Lizardpaw frowned at her, his tail flicking with displeasure. It was rather funny to see how offended Lizardpaw and Branchclaw looked. It wasn's as if it was the first time Silverpaw had complained about how she would never understand why toms did this or that. It was almost like Forestpaw in the reverse. It would be funny if those two got together, Cherrypaw toyed with the idea for a moment, and then decided it probably wouldn't work out. They were both too stubborn for it to.

"Yes, yes. You're right, Branchclaw. Here, I want you all to take these. I don't know how long it's going to be, but you never know with StarClan," Gentlebreeze said hurriedly, pushing some herbs towards the four cats. Breezepaw nodded at them, and then disappeared outside, clearly feeling uncomfortable, although Cherrypaw couldn't understand why.

Silverpaw swallowed her herbs quickly, frowning at the bitter taste, and then got up. She beamed at the others, and then slipped outside, whispering, "See you at the camp entrance."

Cherrypaw gulped down her herbs and raced after Silverpaw. Once at the camp entrance, they decided it would be safer if they sat a little way away from the entrance, in case another cat decided to go out for a night walk. Finding a suitable position behind a bush with trees either side of it, they sat down and waited for the other two to come out.

Lizardpaw's shadow appeared, along with Branchclaw's bigger one. The two appeared confused for a moment, and then spotted Cherrypaw and Silverpaw behind the bush, and padded over to them.

"What are you waiting for?" Silverpaw bounced up. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "Let's go!"

The other three nodded and the four slipped off into the shadows. A cat watched them silently, with longing in its eyes, and then bowed its head. Breezepaw knew that he couldn't go anywhere as far as they would be going. He was needed in ThunderClan. Yet he wished that he was allowed to run off and enjoy life. He remembered _why _he had chosen the life of a medecine cat, though. He had chosen it after the cat he had loved had become an apprentice. Until then, he had hoped that she would return his feelings. Once they were both apprentices, he realised otherwise. He couldn't bear to think of a life with another cat, so he felt that the life of a medecine cat was better. Gentlebreeze knew what had made him choose to become her apprentice, and he appreciated the fact that she had never asked him about it.

Sighing, Breezepaw rose from where he had been sitting, and crept back into the camp. It was no use daydreaming about what could have been. The cat he loved was destined to be great. Maybe not a Clan leader, but great in other ways. And he? He was destined only to be remembered in history as the medecine cat who had lived at the same time as her. That was all.

_StarClan, why does it have to be me that endures this?_ Breezepaw thought sorrowfully. He had never yet managed to be angry at his fate. Only sad.

He had become a medecine cat apprentice knowing that she wouldn't love him. That was the only reason. If she had loved him as he loved her, then he would happily have devoted his life to becoming a great warrior. As it was, he was a talented medecine cat. But not necessarily a happy one. Who could be happy knowing that the one you loved didn't return your feelings?

Breezepaw heard a cat behind him, and sighed. He turned around to see Thornfire, who looked immediately relieved when he recognised Breezepaw. Of course, Thornfire would be going out to see Streamfish. Again. Breezepaw had lost count of how many times Thornfire had gone out to see the RiverClan warrior.

"Hi, Breezepaw," Thornfire murmured, and then cast Breezepaw an odd look. Looking in the direction of where the four cats had disappeared, a look of realisation dawned upon him. "Ah... Breezepaw, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Breezepaw said harshly, and then regretted his words. Not the actual words, but the way he had said them. Thornfire, however, didn't seem to mind.

"I understand how you feel," Thornfire began quietly, looking at his paws. Breezepaw was grateful to Thornfire for making the effort to talk to him, but wished that he could somehow send him on his way. Thornfire continued, "You can't give up hope, Breezepaw. She might love you in return. You never know. I thought that Streamfish thought I was immature, over-energetic, and rude. I tried to change for her, because I knew that I would never forgive myself if she really did have that impression of me. Maybe you could change yourself for her?"

"Thornfire, I'm a _medecine_ cat apprentice, not any ordinary apprentice. I'm forbidden to even love another cat the way I do. You shouldn't be encouraging me. Giving me false hope. You know her well enough, and you and I both know who she is destined to fall in love with," Breezepaw looked at Thornfire seriously. He and Thornfire had been best friends before Breezepaw had decided to become a medecine cat apprentice. Even now, they understood each other better than most siblings did. Thornfire was one of the only cats Breezepaw would trust with anything, even his own life.

"I know... but sometimes things go wrong. Destiny and what actually happens are different things...," Thornfire trailed off. He looked anxiously at Breezepaw and then sighed. "StarClan aren't always right, Breezepaw. There are some things that StarClan predict that will never happen, and vice versa. Just remember that. I've got to go, otherwise Streamfish will think I've abandoned her."

Breezepaw managed a weak purr at Thornfire's joke, but, once Thornfire was out of sight, he looked sorrowful again. No matter how many times Thornfire comforted him and reminded him to keep hoping, Breezepaw always felt that he should devote his energy to something that wasn't so... impossible.

"Breezepaw? Are you there?" Gentlebreeze's soft voice called out. Breezepaw rose, and padded back into the camp. He could only sit and wait to see what happened to the cats who had been chosen to go on this journey. His Clan came before anything else. At least, that was what he had been taught. But Breezepaw was always one to question the rules and wonder at whether it might be better if some rules were bent or changed. It wasn't healthy, Gentlebreeze had told him. Questioning StarClan never got you anywhere. Not unless you just happen to be Firestar reincarnated.

Breezepaw chuckled, and shook his head. Firestar was one cat he did not admire in the history of ThunderClan. He had never dared say this aloud to anyone, except Thornfire. Thornfire had agreed with him. Breezepaw knew he could earn the dislike of many cats if _that_ opinion was common knowledge.

* * *

Rockyleap looked down from StarClan at her son. She felt horrible. It had been her who had allowed him to go this far. If only she had interfered sooner. If she had just done _something_ to prevent it. She had been able to, that much was obvious. It was a habit of StarClan's to interfere with what was happening below. Yet she hadn't been able to bring herself to change her own son's emotions. That was just... unnatural. She had never been the sort of cat do interefere with anything.

"Can't we make her return his feelings?" Rockyleap heard a voice next to her. Skyrock, the previous medecine cat of RiverClan, and the mother of Rockpaw. Not many cats alive knew that, though. Skyrock and Rockyleap had been close when they were alive. Their sons were half-brothers, too. Skyrock had 'stolen' Blueclaw from Rockyleap, but Rockyleap had forgiven her. It would do more harm than good to refuse to speak to Skyrock again, especially since they were both in StarClan, now.

"I don't want to do that. It would anger him to realise that we had _made_ her feel that way," Rockyleap said brokenly. She hated to see Breezepaw so unhappy. Maybe... but no. It was forbidden.

"Maybe we could...," Skyrock lowered her voice, "create another cat for him to love."

Rockyleap winced as Skyrock voiced what Rockyleap had prevented herself from thinking. She whispered quietly to Skyrock, "No. That's _forbidden_, and you know that. You know what harm it could cause everyone. If _anything_ went wrong in the process, we could have created a living nightmare. You saw yourself what happened last time."

Skyrock flinched. It wasn't a pleasant memory for her. She had a flashback of standing in front of a newborn kit, with stars in its fur. She had bent down to pick it up, about to take it down to its chosen mother on the ground, when it had swiped at her. It hadn't been the swipe that had frightened her, it had been the fact that the swipe had drawn blood. She was a StarClan cat. It was technically impossible for her to become injured. Yet there she had been, standing in front of a helpless kit, bleeding. Many cats had tried to get rid of the kit, but none had succeeded. In the end, they had had two choices: Kill it, or leave it somewhere where it could hopefull never hurt another cat. Most of the StarClan cats abhorred killing, so they had chosen the second option. Only now did they realise what a mistake that had been.

"It was Firestar's fault. He shouldn't have initiated the process in the beginning," Skyrock growled, casting a glance over her shoulder to make sure the legendary ThunderClan leader wasn't spying on them.

"He did it for his loved one. She would never have kits, but he loved her. Stupid tom," Rockyleap said in contempt. Then her gaze softened, "He knew that he shouldn't have done it. But his will wavered. A few hundred moons in StarClan can do that to you, I suppose. Poor Sandstorm."

Skyrock nodded in agreement, "I admired Firestar until I got to know him properly. I was actually quite excited when I realised that I would finally be able to see all the legendary cats of the time of the Great Move. I can't help but admire Sandstorm, for putting up with what he did."

Rockyleap nodded solemnly. She would never forget how upset the ginger she-cat had been when she had discovered what her beloved Firestar had done. Why he had done it. What he had created because of it. Yet Sandstorm had eventually forgiven Firestar, after about six moons. Rockyleap herself wouldn't have stood for it. Not even if it had been Blueclaw.

"What's done is done, though," Rockyleap mewed, her eyes serious. "We have to fix what has happened before we even _think_ of creating another monstrosity."

Skyrock nodded in agreement, and the two she-cats padded away. Both of them knew that only the chosen cats could save the lives that Firestar had endanger by doing what he had done. Whether the chosen cats would be able to do it, in the end, not even the wisest StarClan cat could know.

_**Finally!**_** I have finished the chapter! It took me over a month, I know. But I don't give up on a story once I've started... usually. And I definitely won't give up on Thunder From Afar, because I've suddenly become inspired. Mmm-hmm. Anyway, I'll start the next chapter ASAP, hopefully finishing it by the end of June. **

**Also, sorry about the Firestar bit. I never liked him... okay, that's not true. I liked him until he became a warrior and got way too perfect. I do _not_ like a perfect hero. I decided, for a change, to make Firestar less perfect. I have also got a personal grudge against Firestar for stealing Sandstorm away from Dustpelt. Not that there is anything wrong with Ferncloud... it's just that... I think Dustpelt and Sandstorm would make a good couple. Plus they both have _personality, _unlike a certain 'dark ginger' tom around here. I know that, in reality, Firestar wouldn't probably have done anything like this... but I am not one who is logical. I apologise to Erin Hunter for trashing Firestar. Couldn't help it.**

**Okay, so... I've said too much already. R&R! **


	9. Chapter 8: The HorsePlace

**What? Nobody reviewed? Oh...**

**Okay, here's the eighth chapter. Not much else I can say... I hope my previous chapter was better than some of the others. The chapters are getting longer and longer. First 1000 words, then 2000, then 4000, then 5000, then nearly 6000. Or, roughly that much. **

**Guess what this chapter's called? 'The Horse-Place'! Ha! I'm not very original with the chapter names, am I? **

**Oh, and, just in case you were wondering, 'Thorny Rivers' is called that because of Thornfire and the fact that Streamfish is a RiverClan cat. It's also alluding to the fact that Cherrypaw is having a hard time. That was about the only chapter that was even a teensy bit original in the name. Oh well.**

The Horse-Place

Cherrypaw shuffled her feet, looking around. They had arrived at the horse-place a few minutes ago, but, so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She could see Silverpaw yawning with boredom, and maybe just a hint of exhaustion. A little way away, Branchclaw and Lizardpaw were talking in low voices. She had tried to join in their conversation, but they had shooed her away. Her curiosity had only increased, but eavesdropping was no good, because they were talking in such low voices that she'd actually have to be literally next to them to hear what they were saying.

"What do you think we're waiting for? Are there other cats that are coming?" Silverpaw padded over to Cherrypaw, and dumped herself down next to her. Silverpaw gazed up at the clear night sky, and began to examine the stars, as if hoping for a sign from StarClan.

Cherrypaw stifled a purr of amusement at Silverpaw's unusually serious attitude, and mewed, "Who knows? Perhaps we have to take the initiative and just head... I dunno... north? South? East? West? Maybe we should follow the stars. Rosefur said that, when you're lost, StarClan will guide you. She taught me how to read the signs in the stars, a bit. I don't know how _she_ knew, but she did."

"Mysterious...," Silverpaw breathed, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "I wonder... do you think there are other worlds out there? You know... where the great cats of the past still live and thrive in the wilderness? Like TigerClan, LeopardClan, and LionClan?"

Cherrypaw considered the question for a moment, and then nodded, "The world is so big... I suppose there could be. Wonder if Two-legs know of the three great Clans?"

Silverpaw laughed, causing Branchclaw and Lizardpaw to shoot startled looks at her, and then resume their conversation. Cherrypaw wondered, for the hundredth time, what the two toms were talking about that was so important. Why couldn't they include Cherrypaw or Silverpaw in their conversation?

The wind ruffled Cherrypaw's fur, bringing with it a familiar scent. She froze, and her fur bristled as, along with the familiar scent, the wind brought the stench of ShadowClan. Leaping up, Cherrypaw stared hard in the direction the wind had come, and began to make out a vague, shadowy figure making its way towards them.

Silverpaw looked puzzled, and called over to Lizardpaw and Branchclaw, "Hey! Look! Cherrypaw's seen another cat!"

Branchclaw and Lizardpaw hurried over, and looked in the direction that Cherrypaw was staring. They, too, could see the faint figure not so far in the distance. In fact, the cat looked like it was pretty close.

Branchclaw's fur bristled as he realised the cat was from ShadowClan. He let out a low hiss, "ShadowClan! What is a cat from _ShadowClan_ doing here?"

Lizardpaw said nothing. He seemed to be lost in thought, and looked like he was miles away from where he actually was. Perhaps he was remembering something from long ago, Cherrypaw thought. Lizardpaw had had such a different upbringing from hers and all the other Clan cats. It wouldn't surprise her if he felt like he didn't fit in, sometimes.

The shape neared, and Cherrypaw felt a jolt of surprise as she recognised the cat. Gingerpaw. There had to be a reason for it. Why was Gingerpaw, Cherrypaw's only living relative, coming to the same place that Cherrypaw was? Maybe StarClan had something planned.

"Gingerpaw!" Cherrypaw said loudly, causing the cat to jump. Then the cat realised who had called her name, and began to walk quicker. Soon, Gingerpaw was a few feet away from Cherrypaw, glaring at her in suspicion.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Gingerpaw snarled, her fur bristling. She was as surprised as Cherrypaw at seeing cats from another Clan in this place at midnight.

"I might ask _you_ the same question," Cherrypaw retorted quickly. Yet she felt rather happy at having another cat that she knew there, even if it was only one she had met at a Gathering.

Silverpaw was staring at another shape, Cherrypaw noticed. Losing interest in Gingerpaw, she focused on the shape that had attracted Silverpaw's attention. Not one shape, though, but _two_ shapes. And they were running. Was something wrong? Cherrypaw felt a sudden spasm of fear run through her as her mind ran through all the possible casualties that could have happened in the time that Cherrypaw had been away.

Branchclaw stared in disbelief at the two newcomers as they neared the five cats. He obviously knew them from somewhere. One was from RiverClan, and one was from WindClan, that much Cherrypaw could tell. What she couldn't understand was why they were _together_. RiverClan and WindClan were in almost the opposite direction of each other, if Cherrypaw remembered correctly. It didn't make sense.

"_Troutpaw_? _Sunstream_?" Branchclaw mewed disbelievingly. "Why are you two here? I thought you were going to be made a warrior tomorrow, Troutpaw?"

"How do _you_ know?" Troutpaw mewed in alarm. His eyes hardened, and he hissed at Branchclaw, "You've been _spying_ on RiverClan, haven't you? Sunstream, I _told_ you ThunderClan cats were traitors and spies! They send cats over to spy in other Clans' territories to keep an eye on them!"

Sunstream looked indignant, "No! ThunderClan isn't spying on RiverClan! They wouldn't stoop so low! Only ShadowClan does that sort of thing!"

Gingerpaw gaped at Sunstream in horror, then she spat, "ShadowClan does _not _do that! They are honourable cats, unlike WindClan, who steal prey from all the other Clans!"

Cherrypaw blinked in confusion as insults flew past her head. She didn't even know the RiverClan cat, nor did she know the WindClan cat. Their names sounded familiar, but that was because she had seen them both at a Gathering once. Oh... wait just a minute... something was niggling at her brain. She'd talked to Troutpaw before... at the very first Gathering she'd gone to! That was it! He'd shown a clear dislike of Gingerpaw. Which would not bode well if they were to all travel together.

"Hey, haven't I seen you before?" a voice said at her side, and Cherrypaw whirled around to see Troutpaw staring at her in curiosity. She glanced at Branchclaw, Gingerpaw, and Sunstream, all of whom were still arguing.

"Um... why aren't you arguing with the others?" Cherrypaw said the first thing that came into her head, and immediately regretted it. She never seemed to be able to say sensible things when somebody surprised her.

Luckily for Cherrypaw, Troutpaw didn't seem to mind. He merely looked amused as he purred, "Oh, because I can't be bothered to. Arguing takes too much energy, _especially _when you're arguing with a ShadowClan cat."

Cherrypaw noticed the look Troutpaw shot Gingerpaw, and it was her turn to look at him curiously. She couldn't help asking, "What is it you have against Gingerpaw?"

Troutpaw scowled at the ground, and then looked away. He was obviously not going to tell her, so Cherrypaw decided to change the subject. "So... why did you leave RiverClan if you were about to be made a warrior?"

"Because I received a message from StarClan... I told Mistflower about it, and she told me what it meant. I knew that the message was more important than my warrior ceremony, so I came here. Sunstream was in RiverClan territory, because she had been told by StarClan to go there... that's really all _I_ know. What about you?" Troutpaw asked, flicking his tail back and forth impatiently.

"Well... our Clan was given a message by StarClan... a prophecy, more like. It talked about a bud and a lizard and death. Many cats of ThunderClan have died because of my lack of understanding... Rosefur, Thornstar, Sunpelt, and Brightshine... Gentlebreeze told me to come here when the moon was only a sliver in the sky. Lizardpaw came with me, and Silverpaw and Branchclaw tagged along. That's all, really," Cherrypaw answered quietly, looking away. She couldn't begin to describe the guilt she felt as she went over the names of the cats who had died because of the prophecy. Or, was it really _because_ of the prophecy? The prophecy was really only warning her, not causing the deaths.

"You and Gingerpaw look alike, you know," Troutpaw said suddenly, his eyes darting from Cherrypaw to Gingerpaw, and back again. Cherrypaw's eyes widened in alarm. Was it really that obvious that she and Gingerpaw were related? She hoped not. Maybe Troutpaw was only exceptionally observant.

"Do we?" Cherrypaw tried to affect a casual air, and failed entirely.

"Yes... is there something here that you're not telling me?" Troutpaw's eyes gleamed with suspicion.

"Um...," Cherrypaw stalled. She supposed it wouldn't do any harm to tell him, seeing as they were probably going to travel together. Yet maybe this was a test, to see if she could really keep something secret.

_Tell him... it won't do any harm,_ Budrose's voice said to Cherrypaw softly. Cherrypaw glanced around wildly, but couldn't see any signs of the red-furred she-cat anywhere.

"Well?" Troutpaw prompted, his eyes narrowing. "Is it that bad?"

"Um... Gingerpaw and I are cousins," Cherrypaw said bluntly, biting her lip. She trusted Budrose's judgement, though, and was only afraid of Troutpaw's reaction.

Troutpaw nearly did a double take. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Cherrypaw in surprise, "You are _not_! How can it be so?"

"Quit talking in the archaic language, or whatever it is you're talking in," Gingerpaw said in a miffed voice. Cherrypaw looked at her cousin in surprise, she hadn't noticed that Gingerpaw was so close. Then Cherrypaw wondered what to do. She remembered being told that Gingerpaw didn't know about her heritage, so was utterly shocked when Gingerpaw continued, "_Yes_, we are cousins, much as I hate to admit it."

Cherrypaw opened her mouth to ask when Gingerpaw had discovered that they were related, when a starry shape materialised in front of her. All of the cats stopped what they were doing, and peered at the starry cat in curiosity and apprehension. Out of all of them, Cherrypaw was the only one to have had a visit from a StarClan cat whilst she was awake. Cherrypaw wasn't surprised to see that the cat was Budrose, her aunt. Gingerpaw looked suspiciously at Budrose, not realising it was her mother.

Budrose looked softly at Gingerpaw, and then turned to the rest of them and stated, "I see that you have all made it here safely, without any problems along the way. Now, you must realise that you did not journey here just to be sent back to camp without event. No, StarClan has a mission for you. _All_ of you."

"Who are you?" Gingerpaw said, looking at the red-furred she-cat apprehensively.

"Gingerpaw, do you not recognise me? Can you not see who I am related to in this group?" Budrose enquired softly, her eyes glittering with... was it _tears_ that Cherrypaw saw?

Gingerpaw shot a look at all of the cats gathered, and her eyes rested on Cherrypaw. She gazed at Budrose, and then asked, "Are you Rosefur?"

Budrose laughed, but without amusement, "No, I'm Budrose. Rosefur's sister, and _your_ mother."

The other cats froze, all except Cherrypaw and Troutpaw, who was too busy studying the other cats' expressions to understand what Budrose had been saying. Gingerpaw gaped at Budrose, and then she opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by Budrose, who merely shook her head.

"Now, before you start your mission, I want you to understand why you are going on it in the first place. You see, just before any of you were born, there was a cat called Brownfur. Brownfur was an intelligent cat, pretty and cunning, too. She was a very ambitious cat, and her greatest ambition was to become leader of ThunderClan, which was her birth Clan. One day, whilst out on a hunting patrol, Brownfur saw a strange cat wandering the territory. She was about to attack it when she realised that the cat was from StarClan. Don't ask me _why_ the cat was there, he must've been pretty daft to show himself to a cat who barely acknowledged that StarClan existed," Budrose explained, but without any maliciousness in her voice. Cherrypaw could see that Budrose wasn't the sort of cat who moped over things that had been.

"Who was the StarClan cat?" Sunstream asked the obvious question, or, at least, it was the obvious question to ask from Cherrypaw's point of view.

Budrose's eyes dimmed, and she sighed, "Firestar. He had had an argument with Sandstorm. After living many moons with a cat, you can find that you will get on each others' nerves. Firestar wasn't the type to sulk. He had come down to his old territory for peace and quiet. What he hadn't bargained on was meeting Brownfur. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. It's what happened afterwards that was wrong."

Silverpaw's eyes were huge, and Cherrypaw could tell that she was trying to guess what had happened. Cherrypaw herself couldn't believe that the great Firestar would allow anything of the sort that Budrose was alluding to. Firestar was much too sensible for that.

"Firestar was fascinated by Brownfur. She remind him of Spottedleaf, although I can't understand why. Brownfur was as different from Spottedleaf as the moon is from the sun. Nevertheless, Firestar met her again. Like I said before, nothing was really wrong with that. Lots of StarClan cats visit cats from their Clan. Sometimes we get bored of our life, and want to liven it up a bit. It wasn't long, though, before Brownfur fell in love with Firestar. This was forbidden, and Firestar knew that we would blame him for it. But the problem was, Firestar was also in love with Brownfur. He knew they would never be able to have kits together, not only because he was a StarClan cat, but also because Brownfur couldn't have kits. But Brownfur wanted to have kits. Firestar couldn't bear to see her sad, so he tried something that had never been done before. He tried creating a new cat, in the hope that it would resemble him and Brownfur, and therefore be almost like their own kit," Budrose murmured, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. She was amazingly calm retelling the tale. Cherrypaw could see the scene before her eyes, the distressed Brownfur, the determined Firestar. She wondered what Brownfur had possibly been thinking when she continued to meet Firestar.

"It was a disaster, of course. Creating new life is unacceptable, because StarClan is forbidden to meddle with life like that. Reincarnating a cat is okay, but creating an entirely new one is not. The cat Firestar created was a female. She had Brownfur's wittiness and beauty, and Firestar's looks. Firestar called her Brownkit, after her 'mother'. One day, when we were sure the kit wasn't harmful, Skyrock, the previous medecine cat of RiverClan, tried to pick it up, so that she could take it to Brownfur. The kit refused to go, and swiped at Skyrock. That didn't bother anybody much, until they realised that the kit had made Skyrock bleed. Then we started to get frightened. We had to get rid of the kit, before anymore damage could be done. There were two options, kill it or take it somewhere where it couldn't do harm. Naturally, we chose the latter," Budrose said calmly, pausing to see if anybody wanted to ask questions. Nobody said anything, so she sighed, and gazed up at the glittering starlit sky, almost as if she was asking for help.

Then she continued, "Brownfur already knew too much, though. She had to be exiled. We took her away one night, when she was on guard duty. Sandstorm didn't want her to join StarClan, so we took Brownfur to the place where we take cats that know too much. Her 'child' was there, too, so she was happy. Brownfur was erased from the minds of all cats who knew her. Otherwise they would ask questions. For a while, nothing happened. Then a cat died. That cat was your mother, Cherrypaw. Brownkit delivered a prophecy to Gentlebreeze. She wanted revenge. But Brownkit wasn't a cat who would leave no hope. In the prophecy, she said '_unless the bud learns_' . The 'unless' bit was enough for us. We knew there was hope. That's why you're here now."

Nobody said anything for a long time. They were too busy thinking about what Budrose had told them. Gingerpaw was whispering something to Silverpaw, who was nodding solemnly. Cherrypaw wondered what they were talking about, but only briefly. She had a more pressing question to ask, in her opinion.

"How... long ago was this?" Cherrypaw ventured, her tail flicking back and forth in uncharacteristic nervousness.

"About a moon before you were born. Brownkit would be about your age, now," Budrose's voice was soft and full of sorrow. After a little pause, Budrose added, "I'm to be your guide. Why? Because I'm the only one not to be biased about it. I came to StarClan after quite a few moons of living as a kittypet. Therefore, I am not angry at Brownkit for what she has done, like the others are. I'm only sad about what has to be done."

"We must travel past the Place of Big Monsters, and then north, making sure not to enter with the Tribe of Rushing Water's territory. Beyond the Place of Big Monsters is a forest. Beyond that forest is a large cave with a tunnel, and beyond the tunnel is the Place of the Exiled," Budrose said expertly, like she had a map in her mind. In fact, she probably did, because, being from StarClan, she had probably seen the Place of the Exiled once or twice.

Cherrypaw glanced at the other cats, wondering what they thought about the whole problem. It was almost as if StarClan couldn't fix it themselves. It was like Brownkit was too powerful for them. But how could an apprentice aged cat be too powerful for the multitudes of StarClan cats? Then something struck her. Firestar had created Brownkit with the intention of her being not only Brownfur's daughter, but _his_ daughter. And he had been a StarClan cat when he had done that. Surely that didn't mean... that Brownkit had somehow inherited some of the StarClan cats abilities? Like visiting Gentlebreeze in her dreams and giving her the prophecy?

Suddenly, Cherrypaw was very afraid of what she was up against.

**Woot! Finished this chapter! Okay, so this one wasn't very good, but I just needed the readers to understand why the cats are going on this 'adventure'. This chapter is also shorter than most of my other ones, so it shouldn't ( hopefully ) take too long to read, and be too intolerable. **

**By the way, 'Place of Big Monsters', in case you didn't know, is actually a real place in Warriors. If you go to the main site of Warriors, and then click on the middle map, you can find it, and, the road that goes near the Tribe of Rushing Water's territory is roughly where the cats in my story will be traveling. **

**And, OMG! This took me around five days to update! Is that, like, a record for me?**

**Please R&R! **


	10. Chapter 9: The Place of the Exiled

**No reviews again? =sighs=. Then again... I write because I love it, not because of the reviews. Still, one would be nice.**

**Anyway, to explain the 'Brownpaw', her mother conducted an apprentice ceremony for her. I thought it'd seem better that way. I wouldn't be able to take 'Brownkit' seriously...**

The Place of the Exiled

Brownpaw stared into the swirling water, lost in thought. The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky, bathing the whole forest in moonlight. This was unusual, as night-time usually brought nightmares, and you could hear the yowl of a haunted cat nearly every night. Tonight was different, however. It was silent, except for the gentle rushing of the tiny waterfall that Brownpaw was sitting at.

In the water, Brownpaw saw a starry cat talking to a group of young cats, quite a few looked little more than apprentices. Brownpaw knew what they would do. They would journey to this place, and then track her down. Whether they would kill her, or leave her alive, though, was an entirely different matter. In her short life, Brownpaw had learned that, despite what was often thought, StarClan cats weren't the wise, gentle, and understanding cats that you were so often led to believe. No, they were just as bad as cats who were still alive. Some StarClan cats were worse. She had learned also never to trust anyone, not even her own mother. Betrayal was around every bend in the path, and you just couldn't afford to trust anybody.

Brownpaw blinked as the images in the water changed, this time showing a crowded camp. It seemed the cats had discovered that somebody was missing. The water stilled, and Brownpaw gazed at a brown tom that was saying something to the gathered cats. She leaned in so that she could hear it better.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" the tom was yelling frantically. Brownpaw stiffened as she recognised the name of the Clan. It was the Clan her mother had come from. The Clan that her mother had been forced to abandon. Her curiosity growing, she listened harder.

"We must _not_ panic! They cannot have gone far! When was the last time any of you saw them?" the black and white tom's voice rose over the other cats' mutterings. The cats grew silent, and there was a pause before a black tom that looked just a bit younger than Brownpaw spoke up.

"I heard Lizardpaw and Cherrypaw talking together, and I followed them out a bit. I saw them go in the medecine cat's den, so I thought maybe they needed some herbs or something," the black tom informed his leader, for that was what Brownpaw assumed the black and white tom was.

"Gentlebreeze, did you see either of these two?" the leader turned his attention to a white she-cat, who was looking a bit uncomfortable.

The she-cat looked around nervously for a moment, before saying, "No, Thrushstar."

Brownpaw stared hard at the black and white tom, and realised that he wasn't worried about those two cats. Lizardpaw and Cherrypaw, that was what she had heard them being called. He seemed more worried about something else...

"And what about the other two?" the tom continued, worry colouring his voice. Brownpaw's ears pricked up. _The other two_. That meant that four cats from this Clan had gone missing. The leader seemed to know what had happened to the first two, but seemed unsure about the second two cats.

"Silverpaw told me her belly was hurting, and said she was going to see Gentlebreeze," a tortoiseshell she-cat informed him. She was twitching uncomfortably. Probably guilty that she hadn't gone with her, Brownpaw thought.

"Thank you, Dapplepaw. Now... what about Branchclaw?"

The clearing was silent. It didn't see that any cat had seen him recently, so Brownpaw assumed that he had either gone before the others, or had been more discreet than them. He was the only one of the four cats named that was a warrior, so maybe he was wiser than the others.

There was a soft rustle in the bushes behind her, and Brownpaw lost concentration. The still water began to swirl again, and she sighed in part resignation, part annoyance. Then she turned to face the cat that had interrupted her. _This had better be good_, she thought irritatedly.

"Brownpaw... Thorn wants to talk to you... he said it's important," a gentle voice said behind her. Brownpaw recognised the cat as Brownfur, her mother. The once determined and powerful she-cat who had been destined to lead her Clan, but had been betrayed by a StarClan cat.

Brownpaw let out a hiss of annoyance, "I sure hope it is, or he'll wish he had never come."

Brownfur didn't say anything, just led the way to where Thorn had been waiting patiently for the past half hour. Thorn was one of the few cats Brownpaw got anywhere near to trusting. She also knew that he was just a bit too fond of her. This had complicated matters slightly, but she had told him that she wasn't interested. Thorn had said nothing, just stared at her with an emotionless face and left. Nevertheless, she was glad of his help. He had many ideas that she wouldn't have thought of herself. Like making a StarClan cat tell the prophecy. It hadn't been easy to choose which one, but Brownfur had suggested Littlefire, the previous medecine cat of ThunderClan. This had seemed like a good choice, so Brownpaw had agreed.

What she hadn't counted on was StarClan recruiting so many cats. Brownpaw had only intended for two cats to come to this place. Lizardpaw and Cherrypaw. Which was why she had mentioned them in the prophecy. Then again, StarClan didn't like doing what they were told, so it was hardly surprising that they had decided to make more cats go along.

"What is it, Thorn?" Brownpaw asked impatiently as she entered the small clearing. Thorn's yellow eyes flared with anger at the way he had been addressed, but he quickly subdued it.

"I have found a betrayer amongst us. He begs for forgiveness, but he has betrayed our position to StarClan," Thorn hissed, hatred in his voice. His fur was bristling slightly.

Brownpaw wasn't surprised. In a place such as hers, betrayal was only to be expected. Nevertheless, once somebody had betrayed you, letting them live was not the best option. "Who was it?'

"Monster," Thorn said angrily. He had a personal grudge against the tom, although Brownpaw wasn't sure why.

"Very well then... have you brought him with you?" Brownpaw asked quietly, knowing full well what the answer would be. Thorn was not the sort of cat who liked to be caught unprepared, so, if Brownpaw was correct, he would have brought Monster with him.

"Yes. Come out, _Monster_," Thorn commanded, his eyes narrowing as a huge black tom padded defiantly towards them. The tom snarled at Thorn, before he sat down in front of Brownpaw.

_He knows his fate already. He has seen what has happened to other traitors,_ Brownpaw thought to herself, seeing a hint of fear in the toms eyes. Unfortunately for him, there was no place to go. They were already in the Place of the Exiled, and were forbidden to venture away from it. StarClan would deal with him if he did decide to try and make a run for it. There was no escape for him. It was slightly ironical to Brownpaw, though, that she was about to order a traitor to be killed. Weren't they all traitors, in some way or another? The Place of the Exiled _was_ for betrayers, and she was killing him for betraying her. Ah, the cruelness of life.

"Monster, when you decided to join the Others, you knew what would happen to you if you should ever betray us. You did what you did knowing the consequences, so you have no excuse. Any last words?" Brownpaw loved saying the last sentences. She didn't know why, but she just did. Naturally, every victim would be allowed to say something before he or she died. It was only fair. Not that Brownpaw really went in for that sort of thing.

"I don't regret what I did. You're _wrong_, Brownpaw, what you're doing is _wrong_," Monster said firmly, and, as she expected, not a hint of regret was in his voice.

"Thorn," Brownpaw said, turning away. The brown tom's eyes flashed with an odd sort of excitement as he moved forward. It was surprising what an effect such a young tom could have on such a huge tom.

Thorn leaped onto Monster, and Brownpaw averted her eyes. She began to walk away from the dreadful howls of the victim. Then, remembering something, she called over her shoulder, "Don't forget to give him a burial. Choose what sort."

Then Brownpaw quickened her pace until the yowls of the betrayer had faded into the distance. When she had first ordered a killing, she had been afraid. Never had she watched the victim die. It wasn't the sort of thing for her. But she had learned from others what the cost was of letting somebody who had betrayed you live.

"Brownpaw?" a pale orange she-cat whispered quietly. Brownpaw wondered how she could have not heard the she-cat's approach, but decided to let it pass. There were times when even the best trained of cats made a mistake. But it could have cost her her life, and she was well aware of that. You were never safe in this place.

"Yes, Willow?" Brownpaw answered quietly, wondering what was wrong now.

"I was wondering... who was the victim?" Willow murmured softly, looking rather anxious.

"Monster," Brownpaw said, a slight snarl in her voice. She saw Willow flinch just a bit, and then sighed. Willow was one of the very few cats in the Place of the Exiled who had a mate, and was expecting kits. Sometimes, Brownpaw wondered how Willow had ended up here, but had not found time to ask.

"Oh," Willow breathed with relief. She had feared that it was her mate, Ice, Brownpaw knew. She could never understand how some cats got so attached to one another. "What did he do?"

"He told StarClan where our camp was. We're going to have to move, before StarClan realises that we've found out that they know. Stupid tom," Brownpaw spat out.

Willow nodded quietly, understanding Brownpaw's outburst. She then ventured, "Where will we move to, Brownpaw?"

Brownpaw allowed a purr to escape her as she gazed up at the starlit sky. She knew just the place to go. Somewhere that she had thought would be a perfect camp when she had gone exploring for places to live. Allowing smugness to creep into her voice, she said, "Oh, somewhere that they'll _never_ find."

**Okay, that wasn't one of my best chapters. I liked writing it because I feel a bit down now. Basically because somebody said something nasty about me without finding out the whole story.**

**Anyway, I've just realised that _this_ chapter is the record! I updated within a day! OMG! What is the world coming to?**

_**Please**_** R&R! ****_Please, please, please_! Pretty please with a cherry on top! **


	11. Chapter 10 The Start of a Journey

**Okay, so here's Chapter 10! Hope you like it!**

**Like, OMIGOSH! I canna believe it. I literally logged in and Cyri's Alter Ego had reviewed like... 5 times! Thank you so much! And, of course, thank you to poisonpaw, Majoram, and Icestream. I really don't know what I'd do without you reviewers. And I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you all. **

**Addressing that little thing about my 'commas' that Cyri's Alter Ego was talking about. The truth is, I'm not very comfortable with semi-colons, as I never can seem to use them in the right place. However, the dash does seem like a good idea. I'll try to make use of that.**

**I'm afraid Silverpaw's personality has faded slightly, mainly because I'm trying to get a few different view points here, so I can make the threads connect just a bit better. Don't worry, Silverpaw won't die, unless she seriously annoys me at some time or another... like several of my characters have. **

The Start of a Journey

"It's mine!" Silverpaw snarled at Gingerpaw, standing over a dead mouse possesively. Cherrypaw looked up, startled to hear Silverpaw talk in such a vicious way.

"No, I already told you, it's _mine_! I caught it!" Gingerpaw hissed angrily, darting forward and snagging the mouse with her claws. She glared at Silverpaw, daring her to come and get it.

Silverpaw didn't hesitate, she leaped at Gingerpaw, her claws unsheathed. There was an earsplitting yowl as Silverpaw's claws dug into Gingerpaw's side, and then there was only a blur as the two she-cats fought over the little mouse furiously.

Cherrypaw gaped at them in alarm. She dashed forward at the same time as Lizardpaw, and grabbed hold of Gingerpaw, who writhed furiously at being taken away from her attacker. Lizardpaw prevented Silverpaw from attacking Gingerpaw again, looking at the silver she-cat sternly. Silverpaw scowled, and walked off.

"What were you fighting over?" Lizardpaw demanded of Gingerpaw, who looked sullenly down at her paws. If she hadn't seen them fighting so viciously earlier, Cherrypaw would've laughed at the childishness of Gingerpaw's reaction to Lizardpaw's question.

"A mouse," Gingerpaw muttered. As an afterthought, she added, "I caught it."

Lizardpaw rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Honestly, this is the third time in the past half moon! Can't you two stop fighting for once? What have you got against each other?"

Gingerpaw hissed angrily at Lizardpaw, "Stop treating me like a kit!"

Branchclaw wandered over to listen to the discussion, if you could call it that, curiously. He had been talking to Sunstream about how they would make the next part of their journey when Silverpaw had attacked Gingerpaw. Sunstream was now trying to talk to Silverpaw, who was refusing to answer the WindClan she-cat's questions stubbornly.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't if you'd stop acting like one!" Lizardpaw shot back quickly. It was the age old retort to make when one accused you of treating him or her like a kit. Cherrypaw couldn't help but think it was an appropriate thing to say on this occasion, though.

"It wasn't _my_ fault that she attacked me! _I_ was the one who caught the mouse! She was only watching me hunt, not hunting herself, so how in StarClan could she think that _she_ caught it?" Gingerpaw asked hotly, her voice slightly whiny. Like a kit's, Cherrypaw couldn't help thinking.

"You should have left her to eat it, if she was so demanding," Branchclaw pointed out helpfully. Gingerpaw shot him an angry look, which would have made him cower, had he not been the cat who did that sort of thing.

"I worked _hard_ to catch it!" Gingerpaw protested in a loud voice.

"Prey isn't exactly scarce," Troutpaw put in sensibly. He had gotten up from where he had been eating a rabbit contentedly. It wasn't all that often that they had something interesting to talk about, now. The excitement of the journey had faded, and it was more like something they _had _to do, instead of something to be excited about. That was what it was, but Cherrypaw couldn't help feeling disappointed when nothing out of the ordinary had happened during their journey, save for Silverpaw and Gingerpaw fighting.

Gingerpaw said nothing. She knew that she hadn't acted at all sensibly, but being a ShadowClan cat, she hadn't wanted to share her prey with a ThunderClan cat. Cherrypaw knew that was the reason she had defended her right to eat the little mouse so fiercely. Nevertheless, Cherrypaw considered it very childish of Gingerpaw, and purposely looked down her nose at her.

Gingerpaw looked at Cherrypaw, both surprised and, to Cherrypaw's surprise, hurt. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? I'm your cousin! Blood is thicker than water, you know."

Cherrypaw rolled her eyes, and, although she knew she wasn't being at all nice, she spat, "_If_ we ever get out of this alive, we'll still be in enemy Clans, and we'll most likely have to fight each other. I'd like to see you tell Shadestar that you couldn't fight me because I'm your cousin."

Gingerpaw looked away, clearly troubled, and Cherrypaw felt a pang of guilt, wishing she could take the words back. It was an odd feeling, being ashamed of what she had said to a ShadowClan cat. ShadowClan was a Clan that Cherrypaw had been brought up to despise. She had often wondered why Rosefur hated ShadowClan so much, and it had only occurred to her in the past few days that it was because it was a ShadowClan cat who had stolen her sister's heart, and, in Rosefur's opinion, had resulted in Budrose running away to live the life of a kittypet. Cherrypaw was pretty sure that Rosefur wasn't justified in thinking about it that way, but she knew very well how it could hurt when someone you considered your best friend, which was how Rosefur had thought of Budrose, fell in love with a cat you didn't like. Of course, in Cherrypaw's case, that cat had been Lizardpaw, and she had realised that he meant no harm. Rosefur hadn't realised that until it was too late. Maybe she didn't realise it even now, when both she and her sister were in StarClan.

Yet it wasn't only contempt at how Gingerpaw had acted that had made Cherrypaw say what she had said. It was something else. Cherrypaw had been telling the truth when she had spoken. She knew that Shadestar would be, quite possibly, the last cat on earth who would think that blood was thicker than water. Shadestar would exile any cat that would put family before Clan. Then again, Shadestar had been an only kit, and had never had kits of her own. Her parents had died when she was a very young apprentice. Cherrypaw knew that from the elders' tales, and cats who she had met at various Gatherings. So Shadestar wouldn't understand what it meant to have family.

The simple truth was, Cherrypaw didn't want to get attached to Gingerpaw. She knew it would be easy, if she allowed it to happen. Gingerpaw was a good cat, and, Cherrypaw could see, a loyal friend. In Gingerpaw, Cherrypaw could see what she had missed since Magpieflight had declared her love for Lizardpaw. A best friend. Cherrypaw knew that, if she befriended Gingerpaw, she would endanger Gingerpaw's reputation in ShadowClan. As for Cherrypaw's own reputation, ThunderClan was, much as she hated to admit it, a much softer Clan than ShadowClan. They wouldn't care too much, as many things of that sort had happened throughout ThunderClan's history.

Somebody nudged Cherrypaw, and she turned around, slightly annoyed. Lizardpaw was looking at her with pleading eyes, she could almost hear him begging her not to start another feud amongst themselves. Sighing, Cherrypaw whispered to Gingerpaw, who had frozen in shock at Cherrypaw's words, "Listen... I... um... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, Gingerpaw. Really and truly."

In her own ears, her apology sounded pathetic, but Cherrypaw saw Gingerpaw's eyes light up. Gingerpaw quickly nodded, and purred, murmuring, "It's okay. I understand. Hey, I suppose it wouldn't be too late to ask Silverpaw if she still wants the mouse?"

Troutpaw couldn't resist a chuckle, and Cherrypaw herself purred. The tense atmosphere disappeared, leaving a comfortable silence in its place. Glancing up at the sun, Cherrypaw realised with mild surprise that it was nearly sun-high. They had planned to be gone by sunrise, although it was clear none of them were willing to move their aching joints any more.

As if guessing her thoughts, Sunstream announced in an authoritative voice, "It's time we start making a move. We haven't got forever. Every minute we waste could cost another ThunderClan cat its life."

Cherrypaw winced at the not so subtle reminder of why they had to make this journey. It had turned out that only ThunderClan was being affected by this prophecy. Which left Cherrypaw to wonder why cats from other Clans had to make this journey with them. It wasn't as if they had anything in common. Apart from Cherrypaw and Gingerpaw, none of the cats were even related.

Little did she know how wrong she was.

Brownpaw's eyes took in her surroundings with pride. The area around them was an unusual mossy green, and had a few places where the moss clung tightly to the rocks, dripping with water. This was really a perfect place to stay. Hidden from view by huge, sheer cliffs that surrounded them on all sides, and the many trees that grew in the little valley, it was only accessible by a long and winding path that was slippery and very dangerous. At least, it was dangerous to any cat who wasn't used to climbing up and down treacherous paths. Fortunately for Brownpaw's followers, they were accustomed to making camp in difficult conditions, so thought nothing of the odd entrance and exit to this safe haven.

Brownpaw's big plan was to start her own 'Clan'. Of course, it wouldn't be called a 'Clan'. No, it would simply be called 'The Others'. It was the oddest name, but sounded more threatening than 'ThunderClan' or 'ShadowClan', or any other Clan for that matter. And Brownpaw loved to make cats tremble in fear at her power. She may have only been apprentice aged physically, but, mentally, she far exceeded most cats in her intelligence.

This little valley was an ideal place to start this Clan. Brownpaw had waited until the last minute to move here, mainly because the longer she stayed here, the more likely it would be that her hiding place would be discovered. There was also the little matter of getting rid of any traitors amongst her group. So far, there had been three traitors, not including Monster.

"Brownpaw, this place is beautiful!" Willow exclaimed in delight, then she hastily lowered her voice. "It's the perfect place to raise kits."

Brownpaw nodded briefly to show she had heard, and then glanced at Laurel, a pitch black she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye. Laurel had joined 'The Others' not long ago, just before the birth of her two kits. As with Willow, Brownpaw didn't know how Laurel had come to be in the Place of the Exiled, and she hadn't asked. Laurel had been a valuable addition, not to mention the fact that her two kits were strong and healthy and would make excellent members when they came of age.

One of Laurel's kits, a dark grey tom called Robin, asked his mother, "Why are we here? What happened to our old home?"

Before Laurel could say anything, Brownpaw's mother, Brownfur, cut in smoothly, "Our old home was only a temporary one, Robin. This is now our home."

Robin's sister, Peace, looked frightened. She cowered slightly, earning her a disapproving look from Brownpaw. Brownpaw didn't like cats who cowered. After a little pause, Peace murmured, "Why did we have to leave, Mother?"

Brownpaw's eyes narrowed, and she said bluntly, "We were betrayed by one of our own kind."

Peace's huge blue eyes widened in fright, and she hid behind her mother. Brownpaw continued to look at Peace in disdain, wondering why the little she-cat couldn't be more like her brother, who, at least, looked happy to move.

Laurel glared at Brownpaw, but then her eyes softened. She looked at Brownpaw with something akin to pity in her eyes, before ducking down and giving Peace a comforting lick on the head. Brownpaw disliked being pitied, like most cats, but, instead of doing what she usually would have done in a situation like this, which was make a sharp retort, Brownpaw simply looked away.

Thorn wandered up to Brownpaw, and gazed at her curiously. He opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it. For a moment, he seemed to contemplate what would be wisest to say to Brownpaw when she was in a mood like this.

Before he could say anything that was sure to make Brownpaw feel humiliated, she said swiftly, "Has Leaf arrived safely?"

Leaf was yet another she-cat who had had kits in the Place of the Exiled. Or, more precisely, she had only one surviving kit. Originally, there had been four, but one had succumbed to an unknown illness before it had reached a moon old. The other two had died for lack of food when they were three moons old. The one that had survived was a very sturdy little tom that Leaf had called Lightning, although Brownpaw couldn't exactly say that was an appropriate name for the tom, who, though admittedly turning into an excellent fighter, was nowhere near as fast as his name suggested.

"Oh, she's fine. Already quite at home here," Thorn answered, choosing his words carefully. Then he got up and turned away. Brownpaw knew Thorn well enough to know that he would double-check the entire place to make sure it was safe. As Thorn went off to inspect their surroundings once more, Brownpaw sighed quietly.

As the cats settled into their new home, Brownpaw decided to explore the rather unfamiliar territory that she now counted as hers. Expertly making her way up the dangerous path that led into the little valley, she crept silently into the forest. Stealth was one of Brownpaw's most valued assets. In a place like this, it was an invaluable trait that she sought to find in every single one of her followers. Stealth meant that you could spy on enemy cats and go unnoticed.

It wasn't long before Brownpaw was in pitch blackness. She waited a little while, just until her eyes adjusted to the darkness, before moving on silently through the forest. Brownpaw memorised any features that would help her find her way back through this new territory. Soon, she heard rushing water, and her ears pricked up. If there was a lake or pond or even a stream nearby, she could use her gift to see her enemies. Notably ThunderClan and StarClan. Brownpaw didn't care much for the other Clans.

As she neared the rushing water, a dark shape hurtled out of the shadows, forcing Brownpaw to the ground. The cat hissed at her, and, even in the darkness, Brownpaw saw the claws of the cat glint. Quick as a flash, Brownpaw was on her feet, and carefully circling the cat who had dared to attack her in her own territory. She would teach this cat a lesson.

Launching herself at the enemy, she clawed at the cat's back. She had already realised the cat was quite a lot bigger than her, and had immediately recognised the fact that she wouldn't be able to defeat the cat without trying one of the common maneuvers used by all small cats when encountered with a bigger one.

The cat let out a threatening growl, and rolled flat on its back, knocking the air out of Brownpaw's lungs. Snarling, she shoved the cat off as best she could, seeing as the cat was quite a lot heavier than her as well. She dug her claws into the cat's side, and, seeing the cat wince in pain, took her chance. Leaping on top of the cat, who, unwisely, still had its belly exposed, Brownpaw raised her claws every so slightly.

"Who are you?" the cat managed to say, despite being scared for its life. As it should be, Brownpaw thought smugly.

"Who are _you_? This is _my_ territory, and you give me one good reason why I should let you live," Brownpaw said menacingly, her voice filled with appropriate anger. She could see the cat was tempted to cower, but resisted the urge, fearing that it would only provoke her more. Nobody in the Place of the Exiled had patience for cats who were cowards.

"I'm Shadow. You-you-you didn't answer my question," the cat murmured, fear in its voice. Brownpaw realised that the cat couldn't have been in this place for very long. No cat in its right mind would allow its enemy to see its fear. That would only make matters worse.

Brownpaw glared at the tom, who flinched. She then spat, "I'm Brownpaw."

If the tom had been here for more than a moon, he would have known her name. Brownpaw's name was known all over the Place of the Exiled, and she was feared by nearly all of the cats who lived in this dark place. It didn't matter to the other cats that she was only apprentice aged, what mattered was the she was a fearsome fighter, one that wasn't worth messing with. As it was, the tom's eyes clouded in confusion. Her name was obviously familiar to him, and, as realisation dawned upon his face, she chuckled. It wasn't a pleasant chuckle, either.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to attack you! I... thought you were someone else," the tom stammered out. Really, he was quite cowardly for one of his size. Well, most cats acted like cowards around here, Brownpaw reasoned with herself.

"Tell me... why should I let you live? You trespassed on my territory, and, if that wasn't bad enough, you attacked me. You're a coward, and know about as much as a new-born kit about the Place of the Exiled," Brownpaw snarled at him, causing the tom to flinch again. Although she didn't particularly like the killing part, taunting and making cats fear her was one of the things that she lived for.

"I want to join your... um... group?" the tom managed to say. Brownpaw knew that that wasn't what he had intended to do. If it had been, he would have said it outright, and she wouldn't have had to question him. Nevertheless, Brownpaw took pity on him, which was an unusual thing for her, and leaped lightly away from him.

"Do you now?" Brownpaw hissed, purposely making her voice suspicious and venomous at the same time. Most of the cats in the Place of the Exiled were excellent at disguising their true emotions. It was how they managed to survive, despite all the odds. This was why Brownpaw, who had been brought up here, didn't understand cats who seemed to let their emotions control them.

Relieved that he was no longer facing Brownpaw's sharp claws, the tom heaved himself to his feet, carefully keeping his distance from her. Brownpaw resisted another chuckle, it never ceased to amaze her at how other cats seemed so scared of her. Then she was serious again. She couldn't afford to take her attention off this cat, yet she also couldn't afford to take her attention off her surroundings. She had to take in both at the same time, and that required concentration. Chuckling wasn't going to get her anywhere.

"Yes," the tom seized the chance to save himself. He had a rather slim chance of surviving if he went back on what he had just said. At least he was clever enough to realise that, Brownpaw noted.

"I hope you understand that, when you join, you swear allegiance to the Others. If you fail to remain loyal, you will be killed. Understood?" Brownpaw questioned him, an amused glint in her brown eyes.

"Yes! Yes, it is," the tom gulped. Brownpaw scolded herself. She had to stop thinking of him as 'the tom'. His name was Shadow, or that was what he had said. Many cats chose not to reveal their true names to outsiders. In fact, most cats chose not to reveal their true names at all. It was that ridiculous rumour that went around, saying that, if your enemy knew your real name, your enemy would have power over you. Brownpaw didn't put much stock in that belief.

Brownpaw's eyes narrowed at Shadow, and then she nodded curtly, "Very well then. If you remain here, I will ask my second-in-command to examine you. If you choose not to remain... well... let's just say the consequences won't be pleasant for you."

Shadow shuddered at the obvious threat in Brownpaw's words, and watched as she trotted off to find her second-in-command. He marveled at how Fate worked. When he had first come to the Place of the Exiled, he was shunned by every cat he had met. It hadn't taken long for him to work out that cats in this place weren't at all friendly. A few had gruffly given him tips on survival in this dark place, before vanishing into the shadows. One of those tips had been to avoid Brownpaw and her followers, at all costs. He had certainly managed to achieve that. Yet Brownpaw didn't seem too bad... apart from the fact that she seemed to like killing and threatening other cats. Extraordinary tales had been told about her, in the few conversations he'd managed to eavesdrop on.

He had learned that Brownpaw had been brought up in the Place of the Exiled, although she hadn't been born here. Nobody had said anything about where she had been born, or why she and her mother had been forced to come here. All cats could do was speculate. It was said that Brownpaw had shown a hunger for power from the moment she was able to see the world around her clearly. The cats he had eavesdropped on had many different versions of how she had managed to take her place amongst the top cats in this 'underworld', as Shadow thought of it as. Some said that she had killed another cat who was feared by all, making sure there were witnesses to this action. Some said that she had slowly and carefully worked her way up by gaining followers and making sure that everyone knew she killed anyone who betrayed her. Some even went as far to say that she had special powers, ones that had helped her gain her position in this place. To Shadow, all that mattered was he had to stay clear of her, if he valued his life. Attacking her was certainly not the best way to do that, he thought grimly.

It wasn't long before he heard a light rustle in the bushes behind him, and Brownpaw emerged, followed by a light brown tom whose yellow eyes shone with fierceness in the dim light. The tom must have been the second-in-command she had spoken of. Shadow resisted a shiver as he recalled what other cats had said about this tom, who, according to them, was even more ruthless than Brownpaw, if possible.

"Is this him?" the second-in-command said with disdain, looking at Shadow with contempt.

"Yes. He claims he wants to join. He says he will be loyal," Brownpaw answered with distaste in her voice. Why were they treating him with so little respect? Shadow hastily reminded himself that he hadn't done enough to earn respect, in their eyes at least.

"Does he now? We'll see about that," the brown tom hissed, glaring at Brownpaw with something like hatred in his eyes. _Oh, great. I've already earned myself an enemy_, Shadow thought. _How do I earn _his_ respect? Well... I suppose fighting fire with fire would be a good start. I mustn't be _too_ disrespectful, though._

"Is he a good fighter?" the brown tom asked, studying Shadow carefully.

"Hardly. He's got the makings of a reasonable one, though," Brownpaw replied thoughtfully. Then her eyes hardened, "What do you think? Are we able to trust him?"

The second-in-command said nothing for a long time, scrutinising Shadow, who shuddered. Shadow had taken an instant dislike to the brown tom, who seemed, in all truth, much worse than Brownpaw. He had a sinking feeling that this kind of cat wouldn't hesitate to kill if he so much as caught the scent of betrayal. At least Brownpaw was willing to give him a chance.

Shadow noticed a look pass between the two cats, and his ears pricked forward in curiosity. On Brownpaw's part, the look was a cold, questioning look that didn't say much for the relationship between herself and the second-in-command. Nothing was surprising in that, as Shadow had learned that very few cats in this place seemed to get attached to each other. No, what surprised Shadow was what had been in the second-in-command's look. It had been warm and full of emotion, before the tom had quickly checked himself, and had grown cold again. Now, _that_ was interesting. Especially from a cat like the brown tom. Shadow assumed that Brownpaw didn't feel the same way, though, as she had also caught the change in the tom's eyes, and had shot him a menacing glare. It was almost as if she was saying, _It's bad enough that I know you feel like that. Don't show it to other cats, or you'll wish you had never been born._

Shadow shuddered again. He seemed to be acting very cowardly as of late. Must be all these mysterious cats warning him about this and that. He decided that Brownpaw didn't think much of emotions. Nor did she seem to trust anyone.

The second-in-command broke the silence by saying, "It's your call, Brownpaw. I think we should kill him now."

"Very well, Thorn," Brownpaw said, making Shadow's heart sink. Her next words shocked him, "We'll allow him to join. No, don't argue with me. It's my decision, after all. Or are you telling me that you think you'd make a better leader?"

"Go ahead then. Allow him to join," the tom, Thorn, said bitterly. Then he wiped all trace of emotion from his voice as he continued, turning to Shadow, "Do you swear, on your life, that you will be loyal to Brownpaw and myself, and only to us?"

Shadow's brow furrowed in confusion. Only to Brownpaw and Thorn? That must mean that they were afraid of him becoming loyal to an Other who had treachery on his or her mind. Shadow copied Thorn, and wiped all trace of emotion from his voice, "I do."

Brownpaw continued, her brown eyes fixed firmly on Shadow's face, "And do you swear never to betray us to StarClan, no matter what happens?"

Shadow stared at her, confused again. What was this 'StarClan' that all these cats were talking about? Why did they seem to all hate StarClan so much? From what he'd heard, many cats blamed StarClan for what they had done. He decided it would be better to just say yes, and said clearly, "I do."

Thorn hissed menacingly, and whispered, his claws unsheathed, "Say that you do, on your _life_?"

_Sheesh, these cats sure like to make sure betrayal doesn't happen. Not that they seem to succeed much,_ Shadow thought with a touch of bitterness. Out loud, he said, "I swear on my life to Brownpaw and Thorn, and never to betray the Others' position to StarClan."

Thorn stared quietly at him, before nodded curtly, and disappearing into the shadows, beckoning with his tail to show that Shadow should follow him. Obediently, Shadow got up and padded after the brown tom, with Brownpaw bringing up the rear.

As he followed Thorn silently, Shadow experienced a sharp stab of uncertainty. What had he gotten himself into? He had promised himself he would remain inconspicuous from the moment he had arrived here, but he now realised that what he was doing now would only endanger him more than ever. If Thorn so much as got one reason to get rid of him, Shadow didn't doubt that he would take it. He suspected Brownpaw wouldn't care much either way, as long as whatever she was planning to do wouldn't be affected by it.

He truly was in the hands of Fate, now.

**Okay, finished! I may not be able to update for quite a while, as I fear the internet access will not be extremely good, not to mention the fact that there are going to be a lot of people wanting to access it. Notably kids who are internet-addicted, and I know a lot of those. **

**Please R&R! I know this wasn't my best chapter, but I really wanted to write something, so this just came along. **


	12. Chapter 11: Thornfire's Trouble

**Thank you soooooo much to World of Make Believe, Icestream, and Cyri's Alter Ego for reviewing! Yay! I've passed the 30 review mark! Hurrah! Never, not even in my wildest dreams, did I think that would happen so soon. But I'm so thankful to all those who have reviewed so far for allowing that to happen.**

**Now, does anybody remember the prophecy that Leafpool told in Chapter 4 'The Gathering'? If you've been wondering why it hasn't been mentioned since then... well, I kinda forgot about it. I was busy thinking up the rest of the story. Never mind, soon that prophecy's meaning will be revealed.**

**Oh, in answer to World of Make Believe's question about internet connect: I usually have internet at the house, but this is not one of the 'usual' times, I was away for Saturday & Sunday ( 19 & 20 June ) and then I didn't have internet connection. So I have to rely on the internet cafes.**

**And, in answer to... um... was it World of Make Believe or Icestream's question about Shadow being Shadowstar ( sorry, I can't remember, and I can't check the reviews due to lack of internet connection during the writing of this chapter ): No, Shadow is called that merely because of his colour. **

**Now, here's the chapter! Yes, I know it has a funny name, and I did not alliterate it on purpose. Also, I could only call it 'Thornfire's Trouble' on the chapter names because it wouldn't let me do much more than that. But the full title is below.  
**

Thornfire's Trouble & Branchclaw's Belly

"Breezepaw! Breezepaw! Please wake up! _Please_!" an anxious voice roused Breezepaw from his slumber. He had been dreaming of Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw. It hadn't been a pleasant dream, as it had ended rather nastily for both cats concerned. Nevertheless, he was exhausted, and didn't appreciate being roused from his sleep.

"What is it now?" Breezepaw grumbled, opening his eyes a crack. As the world came into focus, he recognised Thornfire standing in front of him, looking worried. Surely another cat couldn't have become ill or injured in the past few hours?

"Can I talk to you in private?" Thornfire enquired in a quiet voice, casting a suspicious look at Gentlebreeze, who was busy sorting out the herbs. Gentlebreeze had barely had a wink of sleep since Cherrypaw had left, mainly because cats had been falling ill continuously. She still hadn't discovered the cure for the illness that they were succumbing to, so spent most of her spare time thinking up possible remedies. The latest casualty was Blueclaw, Rockpaw's father.

"Um, sure," Breezepaw heaved himself to his feet, swaying slightly in fatigue. Then he stumbled out after Thornfire, who was leading him out of camp. He wondered what Thornfire was so anxious to talk to him about.

As soon as they were out of sight of the ThunderClan camp, Thornfire halted, and sat down. Breezepaw followed his example, and they sat in silence for several minutes. Thornfire was busying himself with following the patterns of the stars in the sky above them, nervously glancing around him every so often.

"Well?" Breezepaw prompted, after the silence became unbearable. He already had a sneaking suspicion of what Thornfire was about to say, and dreaded it. _It's going to be about Streamfish... I'll bet she's expecting kits..._

"Streamfish is expecting kits," Thornfire mumbled, looking embarrassed. Yet Breezepaw could see a mixture of fear and joy in his friend's eyes. "I don't know what to do. Streamfish is delighted. She couldn't be happier, but I don't know... what if one of them looks like me? You saw what happened to Greystripe and Bluestar!"

Breezepaw studied his friend for a few minutes. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yes! I am! But still... who knows what RiverClan will do to Streamfish if they find out?" Thornfire said worriedly, his eyes losing their shine as he contemplated all the possible punishments.

"I told you this would happen," Breezepaw reprimanded him disapprovingly. "I _told_ you. I warned you! I said that you shouldn't go on seeing her! Nobody ever listens to me around here!"

"I know you did. I know. But I couldn't just stop seeing her! I couldn't, because I...," Thornfire trailed off, and stared into the distance. Then he looked pleadingly at Breezepaw.

"You love her. I understand. There's nothing you can do about it, Thornfire. Just hope that not one of them resembles you in the slightest. We don't want to give ThunderClan any more reasons to distrust you, do we now?" Breezepaw was referring to an incident that had happened not long after Cherrypaw departed. A ThunderClan patrol had caught Thornfire talking to a pretty WindClan she-cat called Brookfur. Thornfire had only been talking to her because he had met her at a Gathering and they had gotten on well together, but the ThunderClan patrol had immediately jumped to conclusions. Thornfire had had to bear a lot of distrustful looks from the cats in his Clan for a half moon or so.

"No...," Thornfire heaved a sigh. Then he looked up, the disappointment at Breezepaw's reaction clear on his face. "Aren't you happy for me?"

Breezepaw resisted purring at his friend's comically forlorn look, "I don't think you're old enough to be a father. StarClan knows, you act like a kit at the best of times! But, yes, I am happy for you, even though I wish you would be more thoughtful for once. You know, think before you go making friendships with a beautiful RiverClan she-cat. No, don't give me the 'I love her' excuse."

Thornfire nodded, serious again. Then he looked up at the sky, deliberately changing the subject, "I wonder where Branchclaw is now? I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my older brother."

"I do, too. No doubt he's having the time of his life, though. He always was one for adventures and prophecies involving ominous endings for cats who didn't do things right. Quite the adventurer he was. I still have his pleas ringing in my ears for stories of medicine cats who broke the warrior code. Goodness knows why he asked _me_, I'm barely a moon older than him," Breezepaw snorted in disbelief as he recalled Branchclaw begging him to tell him stories.

"You miss Cherrypaw, too, I take it?" Thornfire asked slyly. He knew of Breezepaw's stronger-than- friendship feelings for the red-furred apprentice, and it amused him no end. In his opinion, Cherrypaw was far too young for Breezepaw, who must have been four or five moons older than her.

"Shut up," Breezepaw said sharply, but it was true. He did miss her. And he wasn't the only one who had someone they loved disappear. Magpieflight had been moping around for days. She tried to keep a cheerful face, but it always fell whenever she saw her sister Dovesky and Tigerstripe contentedly sitting together.

"I don't see why you like her so much. She's just a red-furred apprentice who doesn't know much about the world," Thornfire said in contempt. He didn't really mind Cherrypaw, though, and Breezepaw knew it. Thornfire was just being mean to cover his embarrassment.

"I'm not the only one, you know," Breezepaw informed him, and watched Thornfire wince. They both knew who Breezepaw was talking about, and Thornfire disapproved even more of that cat's affection for Cherrypaw.

A silence fell on both cats. They sat there, and looked at the stars, both wondering what the cat they loved was doing at that very moment. Breezepaw looked enviously at Thornfire when he thought the brown tom wasn't looking. At least Streamfish wasn't on some journey into a mysterious place that she had never been to before. No, Streamfish was safe in RiverClan's camp. As for Cherrypaw, well, Breezepaw really didn't know where she was.

* * *

In contrast to enjoying his experience, as Breezepaw and Thornfire thought he was, Branchclaw was actually having a most painful time at that moment. He had eaten far too much rabbit and pigeon, and was now lying down with the most uncomfortable stomachache. Silverpaw hadn't been sympathetic at all, quite the contrary, actually. She had laughed in his face, and told him that he had brought it upon himself. This was quite true, and he knew it, but it would have been nice for her to show him a little concern for his well-being.

Come to think of it, none of them had been sympathetic. Gingerpaw had snorted in contempt, Cherrypaw had rolled her eyes and muttered something about toms not knowing when they had had enough, Troutpaw and Lizardpaw had cackled away at him until he thought he would be deaf, and Sunstream had shrugged and asked him whether he wanted another rabbit. This request had been met with another roar of laughter from Silverpaw, who had already been rolling on the floor with good humour.

No, Branchclaw decided he really wasn't having a good time. Maybe he should just have stuck with eating only one rabbit and one pigeon, instead of three of each. He had been hungry, though, and the thought of approaching the dark forest in front of them at daybreak had only made him want to eat more, in the hope that it would make him forget what was to happen the next day.

A little way away from where he was lying down, Silverpaw and Gingerpaw were arguing again. From what he had gathered, they were arguing about who was going to lead the group tomorrow. Cherrypaw was talking animatedly to Lizardpaw and Troutpaw about the direction they were going to approach the forest, and Sunstream was contributing to both the argument and the discussion in turns. He would have loved to join in, but his ridiculous belly was having none of it, and he had already been sick a few times.

Instead of joining the discussion, he shuffled closer, if you could call crawling on your belly for fear of discomforting yourself even more 'shuffling', and listened to what the trio were saying.

"... thanks to that _mouse-brain_," Troutpaw spat, glaring at Branchclaw, "we can't move tomorrow, otherwise we'll only make him throw up a couple more times, and then have to leave him behind in the forest when he decides his belly won't let him walk any further."

"That's very ShadowClan of you," Lizardpaw observed with amusement. "Are you absolutely _sure_ that you and Gingerpaw weren't switched around at birth?"

"Gingerpaw is just as ShadowClannish as he is," Cherrypaw pointed out, her eyes sparkling. She flicked her tail in the direction of Silverpaw and Gingerpaw, and, lowering her voice, she said, "I must say, though, that she could pass for RiverClan with as much as passing for a ShadowClan cat. Maybe Lizardpaw's right?"

"Don't you _dare_ compare me to that piece of fox dung!" Troutpaw snarled at her angrily, but Cherrypaw only laughed out loud, and dodged his paw swipe at her.

"My oh my, you really _are_ getting quite touchy about the subject. Perhaps a bit _too_ touchy? D'you think he's hiding something from us, Cherrypaw?" Lizardpaw enquired of Cherrypaw curiously, sidestepping Troutpaw's swipe at him. Sunstream was looking on with a mixture of amusement and worry at where this was heading.

"I think you're right. In fact, Shadestar would be quite happy to have him. ShadowClan warrior in the making, huh?" Cherrypaw chuckled, delighted that she was getting a chance to annoy Troutpaw. Branchclaw had to admit that Troutpaw was the very cat who would get teased quite often because of his quick reactions to it.

"So... what were you saying about asking around for directions, Troutpaw?" Sunstream broke in, narrowly avoiding Troutpaw's unsheathed claws, which were directed at Lizardpaw.

"That's ridiculous!" Lizardpaw complained loudly, serious again. "Who do you think is going to give us directions on how to get into _that_ place? Only somebody who's mental would do that! In fact, only somebody who's mental would want to know about that forest, in the first place, let alone go there and have a good time exploring."

"He's right," Gingerpaw sat down next to Cherrypaw, breathless after her heated discussion with Silverpaw. It seemed that she had won, for Silverpaw was sulking a little way away, occasionally shooting murderous glances at the group, or, more precisely, Gingerpaw.

"Oh! So you've decided to grant us the pleasure of your company, at long last. Is it just me, or do you seem to be conveniently away whenever we're talking about the important bits of the journey?" Lizardpaw asked Gingerpaw mischievously, earning him a disapproving glance from Sunstream.

"It's just you," Gingerpaw said coolly, refusing to rise to the bait.

"See! That's how _you_ should've reacted, Troutpaw!" Cherrypaw said to her companion, deliberately stirring up trouble. This was similar to how Cherrypaw had been as a kit, and before Rosefur had died. Branchclaw had missed this Cherrypaw.

Troutpaw growled at Cherrypaw, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to give her the pleasure of seeing him react to her obvious taunt. They were acting like one big... well... family. And Branchclaw felt miserably left out. He knew Sunstream felt left out sometimes, too. The five apprentices now treated each other like they had known one another all their lives. He envied them that.

"Well, as the moon is past it's moon-high mark, I suggest we should all get some sleep. Hopefully, Branchclaw will feel better by sunrise, and we'll be able to make a move on," a soft voice said as a shape materialised next in between Troutpaw and Cherrypaw. Budrose had been traveling with them all the time, although she preferred to only show herself to them when it was night. Perhaps it was because there was less of a chance of other cats seeing her if it was at night.

"Budrose!" Cherrypaw jumped guiltily, ashamed that her aunt had, more than likely, seen her teasing her companions. Branchclaw purred quietly in amusement at Cherrypaw's suddenly repentant expression.

"That's a good idea, Budrose," Sunstream said respectfully, bowing her head. She looked up at Budrose then, and said quietly, "I'm sorry, we were just going through a rough spot."

"No, no, it's okay, Sunstream. It was rather amusing, in a childish way," Budrose laughed. She was a very beautiful cat, Branchclaw realised. He wondered whether Rosefur and Budrose had inherited their looks from their mother or father. Little had been said about the sisters' parents, and Branchclaw often thought that it might be because their parents had done something that was frowned upon, although he couldn't think what.

Lizardpaw had the grace to look embarrassed himself, although he didn't seem repentant, "Sorry, Budrose. I was just having fun. All this seriousness gets rather boring after a while, 'specially when somebody as serious as Troutpaw is around."

To everyone's surprise, Troutpaw didn't growl at this comment. Instead, he laughed. It wasn't a bitter laugh, or a sorrowful one, or anything of the sort. It was a jubilant laugh, one that was more often heard coming from Silverpaw, Lizardpaw, or Cherrypaw.

"I'm not _that_ bad!" Troutpaw protested good-humouredly once Budrose had melted away into the night. "Sure, I might be a bit more _mature_ than you two are, but I'm not that bad."

"Hah!" Lizardpaw snorted derisively, but you could see laughter in his eyes. Branchclaw cursed his stomach, wishing he could contribute to their jokes and laughter like he usually did. But he knew if he so much as opened his mouth, they'd realise that he had felt well enough to crawl closer to them so that he could eavesdrop, and therefore he would receive even less pity from them. Not pity, he sternly reminded himself, _sympathy._

"Well... I guess this is good-night," Cherrypaw yawned, and padded towards the tree with a hollow at the bottom. They had assumed a fox had once made its home there, and had been unnerved by that. Yet they couldn't pass up an opportunity to have a shelter as good as this.

"Yeah, I suppose," Lizardpaw agreed, and followed her. He was followed himself by the rest of the little group. He halted at the entrance, and called to Branchclaw, "Hey, you coming? Hurry up, for StarClan's sake!"

Branchclaw mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, and heaved himself unsteadily up to his feet. Slowly, his stomach hurting, he made his way towards the tree, and crept down into the hollow underneath it, after Lizardpaw had disappeared inside.

Curling up on the mossy nest he had made himself earlier, Branchclaw yawned, and closed his eyes. Despite the almost unbearable pain in his stomach, he felt sleepy, and, before he knew it, he was fast asleep. In his dream, thousands of rabbits and pigeons were swarming around him, taunting him and calling him mouse-brain, and a curiously coloured red mouse was squeaking at a group of strangely coloured mice about how they would steal from the fresh-kill supply of a group of rogue thrushes. It was a most odd dream, although Branchclaw didn't think that at the time, as he was too busy running from a bright orange leaf that seemed to have taken a fancy to his brown frog form.

**And it's finished! I hope that wasn't too over-the-top for you guys, what with Branchclaw's dream and stuff, but I was feeling very cheerful when I wrote this chapter, so some of my mood was put into the chapter, as always. **

**And, you may or may not be happy to know this... but I can now officially confirm this story will have over 20 chapters. How do I know this? Because, as of July 8 ( today ), I am working on Chapter 17!**

**Please R&R!**


	13. Chapter 12: Brownpaw's Heart

**Okey-dokey! Here is another chapter! Not much to say... except I couldn't resist publishing another one today. After all, I already have written all the chapters up to 16, and am working on 17, so I figured it couldn't hurt. Plus, I don't know when I'll get another chance to access the internet. Why? Because I'm in SPAIN! Second time in my life! And I've been to Barcelona! Hurrah! But... anyway, I don't have 24 hour internet access. You get the idea.**

**So I give you Chapter 12.**

Brownpaw's Heart

Brownpaw watched with an expert eye as Claw hunted. Claw was a young cat about her own age, and he had been born in this place. Like many of the cats, the reason for his parents' exile was unclear, but it was something to do with StarClan. Perhaps his parents had tried to attack a StarClan cat, or maybe disobey a StarClan cat's orders. What Brownpaw _did_ know was that both his parents had been from SkyClan, the fifth Clan. This resulted in Claw being able to jump incredible heights, and enabled him to quickly become a respected hunter among the Others, despite his tender age.

Claw pounced with the grace and skill of an experienced hunter, and bit into the struggling squirrel's neck. It was a plump one, which in itself was a rarity in the Place of the Exiled, where prey was usually scarce, even in new-leaf. The fact that it was a squirrel was even more amazing, because squirrels here didn't allow themselves to be caught half as easily as squirrels elsewhere.

"Well done," Brownpaw nodded curtly in approval, earning her a pleased purr from Claw. He was far too soft to be in the Place of the Exiled, and she thought that he was not suited to the life the Others led. She wondered briefly if StarClan ever took pity on some cats, and allowed them to go free.

"Who should I take it to?" Claw asked, his eyes shining. He was so innocent sometimes.

Brownpaw looked at him with something akin to contempt. "Take it to Willow. Then catch something for the kits. We can eat later."

As the young tom left, Brownpaw scolded herself for being so... _good_. She was growing soft in her old age. Not that she was very old, but still. Yet Brownpaw was also smart enough to realise that she would have to allow the kits and any cats expecting kits to eat first, as they would be the ones who would be most important in ensuring that her 'Clan' stayed strong in numbers. She herself had already eaten, anyway, so it didn't really matter. For Brownpaw, she was always the one that came first.

Brownpaw decided to check on Shadow's training progress. The tom wasn't a good fighter, so she had asked Thorn to mentor him. It was a bit embarrassing for Shadow to be mentored by an apprentice-aged tom, but Brownpaw didn't care about whether the tom was embarrassed or not. What mattered was whether he was learning anything.

As she approached the clearing that all the cats who had pledged her allegiance trained in, Brownpaw stopped. She crept into the bushes, and listened to what was happening. Cautiously, she went forward just a bit more, so that she could also see what might be happening in the clearing.

There was a loud hiss from Thorn as Shadow pinned the tom down, resulting in the black tom getting kicked away with such force that Shadow landed on the ground, winded. Brownpaw laid her ears back as she took in what had happened, and she glanced at Thorn to see what he would do now. Brownpaw didn't appreciate cats fighting amongst themselves, which was what this looked like. For Thorn, it was clearly more than just a training ground. It was a battle ground.

Brownpaw saw Shadow's eyes widen as Thorn's claws glinted in the dim light, and the black tom rolled away from the other cat, fear in his eyes as he realised that Thorn fully intended to injure him. Thorn seemed to find pleasure in the other cat's fear, and he leaped at Shadow, claws still unsheathed.

Quick as a flash, Brownpaw darted into the clearing, and launched herself at her second-in-command, fur bristling. Her claws shot out, and she held them dangerously close to Thorn's neck, not caring that Shadow was looking at her with a horrified expression on his face. That tom was far too soft-hearted for his own good.

"What did I say about no fighting amongst ourselves?" Brownpaw spat at the brown tom that was looking at her defiantly, as if goading her on.

"I was training him," Thorn growled, hatred in his voice as he glared at Shadow, who cowered.

"With your claws unsheathed? Yes, it looked a lot like _training_ to me," Brownpaw said with an indifferent voice, although her eyes were flashing.

Thorn didn't say anything, instead looking at her claws with something that was close to fear. Or maybe it was something more, Brownpaw thought. Yes, it looked more like hurt than fear. Like she had betrayed him.

"You know what the penalty for breaking that rule is?" Brownpaw asked menacingly, inching her claws closer to Thorn's neck, until they were barely a whisker-length away from it.

"Death," Thorn answered her, his eyes closing, as if preparing himself for the final blow.

Brownpaw contemplated killing her second-in-command, and wondered who would replace Thorn. As she thought about all the possible outcomes killing Thorn would have, Shadow padded over to her, and looked at Thorn nervously.

Brownpaw knew what he would say, so she flicked her tail at Shadow, dismissing him. The black tom obediently trotted off, although she could tell that his conscience was giving him trouble. It never ceased to amaze her what a terribly good heart that tom had. Why on earth had he ended up here of all places, Brownpaw thought with astonishment. And few things astonished Brownpaw.

Looking down at Thorn, she remembered the task at hand. Something inside her clenched as she realised that there might be more personal reasons not to kill the brown tom. Try as she might, she couldn't shrug them off like she did with every other emotional feeling, except anger and hatred. Hating herself for being so weak, she sheathed her claws. She couldn't do it.

"I'll let you off this time," Brownpaw said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. She leaped lightly off the tom, and began running away from the clearing. She heard Thorn calling her name, but she ignored it. She wanted to be alone now.

What had happened to her? Since when had she hesitated to kill another cat? What was wrong with her? Why hadn't she just killed Thorn like she had killed many other cats before? It couldn't be just because she wasn't fond of killing. That hadn't stopped her before, although she usually had someone else do that job for her. Though she had never seen a cat killed by another cat die, she had seen plenty killed by herself die. Of course. She wouldn't allow the tiny chance that her victim might get away. Before she had risen to power, she had had nobody to order around, and had to do all the work for herself. She had caused the death of most of the cats in ThunderClan, too, by using her gift to spread illnesses to certain cats. That always left her exhausted. The deaths of those cats hadn't troubled her, though, and she hadn't hesitated to kill them. But why, then, had she not been able to kill her second-in-command?

Brownpaw was a stranger to most emotions. She hadn't felt happiness since she had been a small kit of three moons, and had made her mother laugh at a joke of hers. She hadn't felt love since she had been a kit of two moons, and had seen her mother protect her from another cat who had wanted to kill her. She hadn't felt pity since she had been four moons old, and had seen a helpless little mouse frozen by fear at the sight of her, and had been so sorry for it that she had passed it by. She hadn't felt any emotions similar to those since she had become five moons old, and had realised that, to survive in this world of hers, she would have to bottle up her feelings. Lie to even herself about her true emotions. And she had succeeded for nine moons. In truth, Brownpaw hadn't had to lie to herself about her emotions, because she rarely felt any other than anger, determination, and hatred. Occasionally she'd feel pride at her success, but not often.

Now she had to confront an unpleasant truth, in her opinion. She actually cared for her second-in-command. Enough to let him live, that is. And Brownpaw was not pleased that she had discovered this. No, she was furious with herself. She didn't like the fact that she had allowed herself to care for another cat. That she had broken a promise made by herself nine moons ago, before she had had any followers, or had thought of herself as anything but an ordinary kit. What was worse, though, was that she had allowed her heart to tell her what to do.

Brownpaw stopped as she realised that she was just walking aimlessly now. There were too many thoughts in her head, all begging her to do one thing or another. Then there was something else that she had to admit, not for the first time. She needed advice from another cat who had experienced what she was experiencing. Unfortunately, nobody knew what she was feeling, and, being Brownpaw, she wanted to keep it that way. Allowing cats into your heart was a fatal mistake if you wanted to stay alive, in her opinion.

"You're stupid, Brownpaw. Stupid and unwise. You should've killed him," she told herself sternly. Then she turned around, and began to walk back to her camp slowly. Brownpaw knew that she wouldn't be able to stay away forever. Only cowards would do that, and she would rather live in StarClan than call herself a coward.

* * *

Thorn watched as the brown she-cat darted away from him, horror etched on her face. He stood there, shocked at what had just happened, unable to move a muscle. He sincerely wished that he hadn't been dreaming this whole thing. Brownpaw's reaction to what she had done may have been cause for disappointment, but Thorn felt nothing of the sort.

He was happy.

When he had seen her claws so close to his neck, Thorn had truly believed that she would kill him. Why not? He had seen it happen to so many other cats who had broken the rules. He had been the one to inform her of all the cats who had broken the rules, as well as the ones who betrayed her. So why shouldn't he have the same ending as all those cats whose deaths he had caused? A very fitting ending, in his opinion.

Yet, for a reason he hardly dared to think, she hadn't killed him. He had seen it in her eyes when he finally summoned up the courage to look her directly in the face. He had seen far more emotion in there than most cats saw in Brownpaw in a moon. Thorn couldn't bring himself to regret attacking Shadow, because it was that which had given Brownpaw two choices: kill Thorn, or not.

Despite his happiness at her show of emotion for him, Thorn felt vaguely anxious about what Brownpaw would do now. Thorn knew Brownpaw better than any other cat, even better than Brownfur, and he knew that she would be feeling shocked and ashamed at her weakness. It would take her a while to recover from this, he knew, and she would most likely avoid him for that amount of time. That didn't bother him, though. He was content in the knowledge that she _did_ care for him, despite the fact that most cats thought she didn't have a heart.

Thorn himself had never doubted that she did have a heart. It was just that it was buried deep within her, small and inconspicuous, unwilling to show itself. _Brownpaw may have a heart_, he reminded himself, _but she's still not_ _what I'd call a warm cat. No, quite the opposite. So don't get too happy._

There was a rustle in the bushes behind him, and Thorn whipped around, hackles up and fur bristling at this intrusion upon his thoughts. He hoped that the news this interruption brought was worth it. Or was this a strange cat? If so, he didn't fancy its chances of survival.

"It's me. Claw," the bluish grey tom stepped out of the bushes, and looked around the clearing suspiciously. Then he glanced at Thorn with sympathetic eyes, "Brownpaw wants to know if you'll take a border patrol out. She's in quite a mood. More angry than _I_ have seen her since she realised that you cared for her."

Thorn narrowed his eyes at the tom, hissing, "_What_ did you say?"

Claw shrugged indifferently, but he couldn't keep the amusement out of his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm the only cat here who's observant enough to realise that. Your secret's safe with me. But I'd suggest you steer clear of her for a few days. Obviously she's upset about something. Doesn't happen to have something to do with _you_, does it?"

"Get out of my sight!" Thorn thundered, angry that Claw had been so observant. He really would have to learn some of Brownpaw's tricks in concealing her emotions. Maybe then the young tom would have no reason to laugh at him behind his back.

"Is that a 'yes' or 'no'?" Claw asked him cheekily as he padded off towards the camp.

"Tell her I'll go," Thorn sighed in exasperation, although he couldn't get rid of the feeling that Claw might know more about Brownpaw's heart than he did. He felt a slight of jealousy at that thought, but hurriedly banished it from his mind. No, he would _not_ think about that.

But the feeling persisted even when Claw had disappeared into the shadowy forest, and it was still there as he went to sleep that night. Thorn couldn't help wondering whether Brownpaw would have decided against killing Claw if Claw had been in Thorn's place. It wasn't a pleasant thought for him.

**Okay, so this might have dwelt a bit too much on the emotions of the cats in the actual story, and not the surroundings. But at least you know that Brownpaw _does_ have a heart! Hip-hip-hooray! Three cheers for Brownpaw! As for Thorn... well, let's just say there's a lot more to him than meets the eye.**

**Yes, Brownpaw _is_ the cause of the mysterious illness in ThunderClan. How she managed to do it will be explained in later chapters, though. **

**Please R&R, even though this might not have been my best chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13: The Prophecy is Explained

**Thank you to World of Make Believe & Cyri's Alter Ego for reviewing! Here's Chapter 13! I know it's an unlucky number for most of you, but it's also _my_ favourite number! =sighs happily= I never thought I'd reach a double digit chapter number. I always thought that I'd give up on this story. But, happily for me, that hasn't come true so far, and I don't intend it to come true in the near future.**

**Enjoy!**

The Prophecy is Explained

Cherrypaw's eyes had a hard time adjusting to the sudden dimness of the forest around them. She wondered how any cat could stay here for more than a moon without going completely blind. It was even more puzzling to her that cats actually _lived_ here. Who would choose to live in such a dismal place? Then again, they didn't _choose_ to live here. They were exiled to this place. Who would've thought StarClan could be so harsh?

"Ew!" Silverpaw screeched as she stepped in a muddy puddle of water. She looked despairingly at her usually spotless grey paw, and moaned, "No! I only washed it today! This morning! It'll take ages to clean it now, not to mention how bad it'll taste!"

"Getting a little vain, aren't we?" Gingerpaw taunted her, earning her a disapproving look from Sunstream, who was giving out a lot of disapproving looks lately.

Silverpaw glared at Gingerpaw, and splashed the muddy water in the she-cat's direction, dirtying Gingerpaw's pale fur. The pale ginger she-cat let out a furious hiss, and was about to launched herself at the ThunderClan she-cat, but Branchclaw stepped in between them, shooting them both warning glances.

"Spoilsport," Lizardpaw muttered under his breath, causing Troutpaw to chuckle gleefully at Lizardpaw's disappointed expression.

"We can't draw attention to ourselves here," Sunstream lectured them. "Who knows what kind of cats live here? Think about it. They must have been pretty horrid to end up here."

"Why am I here then? I didn't do anything to deserve _this_! Why me?" Silverpaw wailed, and Branchclaw shot her a look that silenced her at once. Unfortunately, it didn't silence Gingerpaw.

"Well, let me see... you're incredibly vain, you act like a kit, you annoy me more than words can say, you tag along on a journey that you aren't meant to go on, _and_ you are terribly greedy," Gingerpaw informed her, her blue eyes sparkling with delight.

"Look who's talking!" Silverpaw glared at Gingerpaw with such venom that Cherrypaw felt alarmed. Silverpaw was usually so light-hearted and funny that it was almost a cause for panic seeing her act like this towards another cat.

"Go Silverpaw!" Lizardpaw said encouragingly to the light grey she-cat.

"Go Gingerpaw!" Troutpaw said encouragingly to the pale ginger she-cat.

"You should be on Silverpaw's side, you know," Budrose appeared in front of them so suddenly that Cherrypaw jumped. She was still getting used to having a StarClan cat constantly appear to you when you least expect it.

"Who, me?" Troutpaw asked, confusion in his brown eyes.

"Yes, you. She's your cousin, after all. I thought you'd have realised that by now," Budrose told him teasingly, laughing when she saw both Silverpaw and Troutpaw gaze at her in astonishment. "Your fathers were brothers, you know. Also, as we're on the subject of who's related to who... Sunstream and Branchclaw are half-siblings."

That made everybody freeze, and Budrose was the brunt of the icy glare from Branchclaw, who snarled, "Are you suggesting that one of my parents weren't loyal to their Clan?"

Budrose looked at him quietly, and shook her head, "No. Thornstar had a few affairs with cats from different Clans. But he was never disloyal to ThunderClan. I suppose you know who Sunstream's mother is?"

Lizardpaw looked at Budrose in shock, coming to the answer quicker than Branchclaw did, "Not Brightstar? But... wouldn't Rockpaw love this! He lives for this kind of thing!"

This made all the cats, except Branchclaw and Budrose, look at Sunstream in astonishment, causing the tortoiseshell she-cat to duck her head in embarrassment. It was indeed rare that a cat would have both their parents become Clan leaders. In fact, none of the cats gathered there, except Budrose, had heard of it before.

"Don't you have a sister?" Silverpaw ventured finally, after an indescribably long pause.

"Yes," Sunstream nodded. Then she glanced at Branchclaw, and said quietly, "We both knew who our father was. As soon as we could walk and talk, Brightstar told us. She said we should be proud of it, not ashamed, like I sometimes am."

Branchclaw spoke up then, "You said that my father had _other_ affairs. Did any of them result in any kits?"

Budrose glanced at him, and then nodded. Her eyes were serious now, not one trace of amusement was in them, "Yes. He had an affair with Shadestar. They had two kits. But he refused to see her any more after that. He told her he didn't love her. And he broke her heart."

Branchclaw stared at her blankly, obviously having trouble with the thought that his father had had four other kits that he didn't know about. But Gingerpaw and Silverpaw were both bouncing up and down with excitement at this news.

"He had an affair with _two_ Clan leaders?" Silverpaw squeaked with delight. She really _was_ as bad a gossip as Rockpaw, Cherrypaw thought with a sigh. She was sure that soon the news that Thornstar had had affairs with both the ShadowClan and the WindClan leader would reach the ears of every cat.

Gingerpaw, however, seemed to be interested in something else. "And who were they? Shadestar's kits, I mean?"

"I don't know if I should be telling you this," Budrose said doubtfully, but, after a pleading look from Lizardpaw, Troutpaw, Silverpaw, Gingerpaw, and Cherrypaw herself, Budrose continued. "One of them is a she-cat called Sharpthorn. And the other is Flarehawk."

After another round of gasping and shocked looks, Budrose shrugged, and suggested that they continue their journey, as gossiping about the past wasn't going to get them anywhere. This idea was met with approving nods from both warriors, and sighs of disappointment from the five apprentices. As soon as they had started walking again, Budrose disappeared into thin air, and they found themselves without the company of a StarClan cat once again. Nevertheless, they had plenty to talk about.

"So, we are all related to each other!" Silverpaw squealed. Then she looked over the cats again, "Well, maybe not _all_ of us. Lizardpaw isn't related to anyone here. Branchclaw is only related to Sunstream. I'm related only to Troutpaw. And Cherrypaw is only related to Gingerpaw. But still... does this mean that I can now take advantage of the fact that Troutpaw is my cousin?"

"It most certainly does _not_," Troutpaw growled at Silverpaw. He wasn't quite as delighted to be related to her as she was to him. Troutpaw was probably thinking of all the things that Silverpaw would now make him do because he was related to her. She had already said that 'blood is thicker than water' quite a few times, and Cherrypaw couldn't help but feel sorry for Troutpaw.

"I think I'm going to be deaf," Gingerpaw complained loudly, in the hope that she would drown out Silverpaw's voice. Her attempt to do so was cut short by a menacing growl from the bushes near them.

Silverpaw froze, and darted behind Gingerpaw and Cherrypaw, who were walking together. Lizardpaw stopped comforting Troutpaw, and his ears pricked forward. Branchclaw immediately went into attack mode, and his fur began bristling as the bushes rustled even more than before, and a small brown cat stepped out.

The cat was smaller than Cherrypaw herself, but she somehow got the feeling that this cat wasn't one to be trifled with. Instinctively, Cherrypaw stepped in front of Gingerpaw, who shot her an angry glare, but didn't make a sound. To her surprise, Cherrypaw saw that Branchclaw's eyes held fear in them, and she wondered why he would be afraid of an apprentice-aged cat.

"This is _my_ territory, and I don't have time for cats who cross boundaries," the brown cat announced in a menacing voice, inching closer to the group. Then she spotted Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw, and her brows furrowed in thought. After a pause, she nodded, and flicked her tail, which was clearly the signal for four more cats to step out of the bushes. All of the cats had a dangerous air about them, one that made Cherrypaw want to disappear as quickly as Budrose did.

"However... I've been expecting you _two_," the cat motioned her tail in Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw's direction. "I suppose the rest of your group will have to come as well... never mind. Thorn! Take the other five away, and do _not_ harm them. Take Ice and Flame with you."

A brown tom nodded, and motioned for a white tom and a bright orange one step forward. Then he said in a low voice, "What are you five waiting for? Do you want us to force you to come with us?"

Silverpaw looked at the tom, wide eyed, and scurried forward, followed shortly by Gingerpaw, Sunstream, and Branchclaw. Troutpaw looked uncertainly and Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw, and then followed the others. The brown tom nodded in satisfaction, and he herded them away, followed by the other two toms.

"Who are you?" Lizardpaw growled at the brown cat, his fur bristling, and he looked contemptuously at both the cat and the group that had disappeared deeper into the forest. Cherrypaw could almost hear him thinking what cowards their companions were, and she shuddered at the hostility in Lizardpaw's gaze.

The brown cat looked coolly at Lizardpaw, and Cherrypaw could've sworn there was amusement in the cat's voice as she answered, "Why, I'm Brownpaw. And this is Tiger."

Cherrypaw's eyes flickered to the orange and black tom that had been named. He was huge. Immense. Ginormous. Colossal. And Cherrypaw felt smaller than she ever had in her life, especially when she noticed the tom's eyes on her, amber eyes mocking. _He's like Tigerstar in the elders' stories_, Cherrypaw couldn't help thinking. _Except he's the wrong colour._

Then she realised what the she-cat had said her name was. Brownpaw. There was only one cat that the she-cat could possibly be, the cat that Budrose had told them about when they first set out on this journey. The cat who could kill StarClan cats, however impossible that may have seen. And Cherrypaw knew, without a doubt, that this cat wouldn't hesitate to kill any one of her companions. She also knew that this cat didn't think much of fear, and, looking sideways at Lizardpaw, she understood why he was acting the way he was. The only way to gain this cat's respect would be to make her admire you, and she certainly wasn't going to admire a frightened cat. Budrose had told the group many times that they would have to somehow gain entrance to Brownpaw's camp, so that the prophecy could be completed. Cherrypaw knew now that the only way that would happen would be for her to act like Lizardpaw. And then it struck her.

_One death will be of roses, the next of thorns. The rest will follow, unless the bud learns... to be like the lizard among the ferns._

Lizardpaw was the lizard among the ferns, the ferns being ThunderClan. He blended in with ThunderClan, yet still didn't fit in completely, which was why he didn't count as one of the ferns. And it was entirely possible that the rest of their journey depended on her following Lizardpaw's example on how to act towards this strange cat. She couldn't be sure that the way she had interpreted the prophecy had been right, but it was all she had to rely on now. And her instincts told her that she was correct.

Having decided this much, she fluffed up her fur, narrowed her eyes to slits, and spat at Brownpaw, growling in a menacing way. Later on, she didn't know how she, a cat who had never injured another cat in her life, with the exception of a few scratches that she had inflicted on the ShadowClan leader, had managed to muster up the anger and hatred that had been necessary to act with such venom. Yet she had, and she was very thankful that she had, too, for the brown she-cat's eyes widened with surprise for a brief second, and then the she-cat nodded.

"You two aren't as cowardly as your companions, I see. Well... follow me. Tiger, leave us alone, and go and tell the rest of the Others that our expected company has arrived," Brownpaw ordered the big tom, her voice carefully devoid of emotion. Was it just Cherrypaw, or did Brownpaw put an emphasis on the word 'expected'?

The huge tom bowed his head, and left the three cats alone. Cherrypaw wondered how such a small cat could order around such a big tom without the tom protesting. She guessed that Brownpaw would have to be a very powerful cat for that to happen, and, remembering all that Budrose had told her about the brown she-cat, Cherrypaw shuddered. A cat who ordered killings daily would definitely be a cat to be wary of. Especially if you were a stranger who had intruded upon her territory.

"How did you know we were coming?" Lizardpaw was glaring at the brown she-cat like he would enjoy ripping her fur off. She had to admit that even she was frightened of Lizardpaw now. What had happened to the tom? _He's only acting_, Cherrypaw tried to reassure herself, but didn't meet with much success.

"Ah... I suggest you keep your nose out of my business," Brownpaw said coldly, her brown eyes flashing dangerously. Cherrypaw noticed that Brownpaw had three white paws, and then scolded herself for bothering to notice such insignificant details.

"Might you tell me who you yourselves are?" Brownpaw asked them, her eyes flicking from Cherrypaw to Lizardpaw, and back again. Cherrypaw had the feeling that Brownpaw knew very well who they were.

"I'm Cherrypaw, and this is Lizardpaw," Cherrypaw cut in before Lizardpaw could say anything. She thought it would be better for her to do the talking from now on, as Lizardpaw seemed incapable of talking peacefully.

"And where is your StarClan friend? The one who is to explain a certain prophecy I received in my sleep last night?" Brownpaw hissed, looking around the forest with narrowed eyes.

"I'm here," Budrose materialised in front of them, but Brownpaw didn't flinch. She coolly stared at the StarClan she-cat, waiting for an explanation. Then Brownpaw shook her head, and motioned for them to follow her.

"There are too many eyes and ears in this place. No such thing as privacy here. Come, we will continue this discussion in my den," Brownpaw said in such an emotionless voice that Cherrypaw wondered if living in the Place of the Exiled made all emotions simply disappear.

Budrose nodded in agreement, and cast a cautious look around her. "You can never be sure who will be listening to your conversation. Perhaps one of Brownpaw's own followers is eavesdropping on us at this very moment."

Brownpaw's eyes took on a murderous look, and she snarled, "Are you saying that you doubt the loyalty of my followers? They listen to me, and only me! And they know the punishment for disobeying my orders."

"What is it?" Cherrypaw said, her voice coming out in a squeak, much to Lizardpaw's amusement. She shot a glare at the brown tom, and then repeated her question with more strength, "What is the punishment for disobeying your orders?"

Brownpaw looked pleased with herself as she replied, "Death."

Lizardpaw didn't seem surprised, but Cherrypaw gasped with horror. "Why?"

Brownpaw didn't answer, instead moving away from them, and beckoning with her tail for them to follow. Brownpaw's paws made no sound on the hard floor of the forest, and several times she disappeared from sight entirely. As they ventured deeper and deeper into the forest, it got darker. It wasn't long before there was hardly any light at all, and Cherrypaw had a good deal of trouble making out any shapes in front of her. Then, quite suddenly, she stepped out into the light. It was so bright that she had to shut her eyes tightly for a moment. When she opened them she saw a steep drop before her, and there was a small valley beyond the drop. It was hard not to gasp at the astonishing amount of light there now was, as well as the beauty of the valley below.

Brownpaw was making her way down the cliff, although how she managed to navigate her way down the almost sheer drop seemed incredible to Cherrypaw. Then she spotted a small, almost invisible path that Brownpaw was following. Cautiously, Cherrypaw followed Brownpaw's example. Lizardpaw had already beat her to the start of the path, and was making his precarious way down. Cherrypaw envied Budrose, who simply disappeared into thin air once again.

Fifteen minutes later, and Cherrypaw saw Lizardpaw leap down to solid ground. Distracted at the thought of being able to touch firm ground again, Cherrypaw slipped and landed, dazed and winded, on the ground below. Groaning, she tried to heave herself up, but fell down again. To her astonishment, Lizardpaw was laughing uproariously.

"A little sympathy would be nice," Cherrypaw grumbled, unsteadily getting to her feet. She noticed Brownpaw looking at her with contempt, and felt her face warm. She was glad that the other cats couldn't see her blush under all her fur. She had often wondered how Two-leg managed without any fur at all. Surely their feelings would be clear to all the other Two-legs who were around. And, not for the first time, she was heartily thankful that she had been born a cat, not a Two-leg.

"Sorry," Lizardpaw said, not looking at all repentant. Then her was serious again, and turned to Brownpaw. "You wanted to speak in private?"

Brownpaw nodded curtly, and lead the way to a small cave in the far side of the camp, away from all the other cats. Before going inside, Brownpaw called out to black tom that was shifting nervously from paw to paw. The tom hurried over to her, and immediately bowed his head respectfully. Cherrypaw couldn't help thinking that it was rather comical for a tom of his size to look at an apprentice-aged she-cat respectfully, but then she remembered that Brownpaw was no ordinary she-cat.

"Shadow, guard my den. If you let _anyone_ in without my permission, you'll die," Brownpaw said coldly to the tom, in a voice that sent shivers down Cherrypaw's spine. The brown she-cat talked about dying like it was an everyday occurrence here. Then again, perhaps it _was_. That thought didn't comfort Cherrypaw much.

"Of course," the tom said seriously, positioning himself outside the den without any hesitation. Cherrypaw wondered if Brownpaw counted hesitation to obey her orders an offence. Probably.

Brownpaw slid inside the den, followed by Lizardpaw. After looking nervously at the tom, wondering what he had done to end up here, Cherrypaw followed them, and was immediately confronted with pitch blackness again. Screwing her eyes shut, a trick that usually helped them come to terms with darkness quicker, Cherrypaw felt around for the other two cats. One of her paws touched something soft, and her eyes flew open in alarm. Around her, the den was now a grey colour, and she sighed in relief as she realised that the thing she had touched was Lizardpaw, and not Brownpaw. She didn't want to think what Brownpaw might have done to her if she had prodded her like she had prodded Lizardpaw.

"Hey!" Lizardpaw mewed in protest. "That hurt!"

"Sorry," Cherrypaw mumbled, sitting down a little way away from either of them. Somehow, she felt that Lizardpaw fit in better than she did, and so resigned herself to letting him do the talking. He didn't seem exactly disappointed with being able to do just that, and hastily answered all Brownpaw's questions about where they had come from and why they were here. Not that Cherrypaw doubted for a minute that Brownpaw knew all of the answers, and was only making sure that they would tell her the truth.

"And, may I ask, what is the meaning of the prophecy that was sent to me in my sleep? Yes, StarClan cat, I need you to explain," Brownpaw asked in a rather contemptuous voice. Cherrypaw busied herself with thinking rude thoughts about the brown she-cat.

Budrose sighed, and appeared in front of them again. "Which prophecy? There are too many going around these days. My head hurts with all the explaining I have to do. StarClan seems to think that I have a talent for making them up, so they give me a rough idea of what they want the prophecy to be about, and then leave it up to me to condense it into a few sentences. I've had to do around eight since I arrived in StarClan! And then they discarded six of them! Can you believe it?"

Brownpaw didn't seem to be in the mood for Budrose's complaining, and said in a steely voice, "You want to know what it said? _Darkness will learn the ways of the bud. The bud will learn the ways of darkness. With the lizard they must overcome the leader of light, or forever be doomed to live in light's shadow_. Quite a stupid one, if you ask me."

Budrose harrumphed, offended. "Listen, young one, I spent a lot of time coming up with that. I didn't get Leafpool to deliver it to the other StarClan cats for approval only for a little apprentice to tell me that it was stupid."

Brownpaw's hackles rose, and she spat, "I am _not_ a little apprentice! Have you forgotten what I can do to your kind?"

Instinctively, Cherrypaw shrank back into the shadows. She, for one, hadn't forgotten that Brownpaw could injure StarClan cats. It was no laughing matter, and she didn't know what Budrose was trying to do. Taunting the enemy wasn't always the best of options. At least Budrose could disappear any time she wanted. Unfortunately, neither Lizardpaw nor Cherrypaw possessed that ability. If Brownpaw got angry, like she was now, there was a good chance she would take it out on the two apprentices in her den.

"Of course not. I was joking, Brownpaw," Budrose said softly, unafraid of Brownpaw's anger, although it was radiating off the brown she-cat in waves. Cherrypaw wondered if she might be incinerated on the spot.

"Well? What does it mean?" Lizardpaw cut in smoothly. His ears were laid back, and his fur was bristling ever so slightly, but he still managed to sound like he was perfectly calm. Cherrypaw envied him the ability to act as well as that.

"Well... I'll only tell you if your friend behaves herself," Budrose said petulantly, exactly like Silverpaw might have said it if their positions had been switched. Cherrypaw knew now where Gingerpaw got her occasionally childish behaviour from. Then she doubted that you could inherit something like that if you didn't even know your mother well.

Brownpaw glared at the red she-cat, and then sighed impatiently, "Fine! Tell me."

Seeing that that was the only apology she'd get out of her, Budrose heaved an enormous sigh. "Well... the bud is Cherrypaw, the lizard is Lizardpaw, and the darkness is you. It could also be all of the Others, depending on how you look at it. You're not stupid, so figure out the rest for yourself."

Brownpaw looked briefly thoughtful, and then her eyes narrowed in something like disgust as she realised what she'd have to do, "I have to learn to be like _her_?"

Cherrypaw met the same conclusion at the same time, and hissed in disbelief, "I have to learn to be like _her_?"

Lizardpaw chuckled at the shock and disgust on both she-cats' faces, and sighed in something akin to merriment. "Oh, this is going to be _great_."

**Hurrah! Nine pages! This was a chapter I really enjoyed writing, because you got to see another side of the usually wise Budrose, and another, slightly softer, side to our little villain. And, if you read the prophecy, she's not the problem here. Not really. No, I planned to make Brownpaw have an okay side, at times, when she wasn't playing the part of the villain. I had to contrast her with the _real_ baddies. Because the _real_ villains are much, much worse. 'Nuff said.**

**Okay, one more thing. Some of you _may_ have been wondering how old all the cats are... So here's a quick list of the main characters and their ages. Some of the ages are a bit vague, though...**

**Cherrypaw - 13 moons ( warrior age, really. But not all apprentices are made a warrior at 12 moons... )**

**Lizardpaw - 14 moons **

**Silverpaw - 11 moons ( remember how she was made an apprentice at six moons? Well, on my profile I state that Cherrypaw is about eight moons at the start... so... yeah )**

**Troutpaw - 13 moons ( same age as Cherrypaw, but, if they were to use human dates, he'd be about a week younger )**

**Gingerpaw - 13 moons ( literally a few days older than Cherrypaw )**

**Branchclaw - 16 moons ( no comment... )**

**Sunstream - 18 moons ( mainly because Branchleaf, Branchclaw's mother, became Thornstar's mate _after_ Brightstar was. What a cheat Thornstar was! Haha... )**

**Magpieflight - 15 moons ( older than Lizardpaw, obviously. Do any of you have any objection to this? Just curious... )**

**Brownpaw - 14 moons ( because... um... because I said so )**

**Thorn - 14 moons ( sheesh... a _lot_ of these cats seem to be 14 or 13 moons... )  
**

**If you have any other cat you want to know the age of... just say so...  
**

**Please R&R!**


	15. Chapter 14: Realisation

**Thank you to Cyri's Alter Ego, Aroeheart, World of Make Believe, The Tester, and Majoram for reviewing! I can't tell you how extremely grateful I am to you all for taking the time to review my story. Your reviews really cheer me up when I'm feeling down.**

**In answer to Aroeheart's question... well... I'm not really sure myself. The reason I set it in the future is because I'm not comfortable with making another person's character speak and stuff. Maybe it's because I've also seen a lot of people criticised for not making the character act the way they should. But I'd say it's about ten years in the future? Maybe. Or even more than that.**

**Chapter 14 is now on its way! Hurrah! I really _am_ in a good mood today, am I not? Let's hope it lasts, unless you like dark chapters. If you do, inform me and I will try and make another chapter more dark. If you don't... well... um... I dunno. **

**I hate to sound smug ( this is what I usually sound like when I'm in a good mood, which results in my confidence soaring to extreme heights, and is usually the time when you avoid talking about me, because I will quickly point out my good points ), but I can see a little improvement in my writing style. Not much, mind you, but the paragraphs are getting a little longer, and I hope my characters are just a little less 2D.**

**Now, enough smugness, and onto Chapter 14.**

**EDIT : This was originally called 'Learning The Ways Of Another', but, after I wrote it, it turned out slightly differently. I decided that it wasn't the most appropriate chapter name, and, since I've always preferred short chapter names, I called it the very simple "Realisation".**

Realisation

"You _what_?" Brownpaw mewed in a mixture of horror and disbelief. This annoying red-furred she-cat, a miniature of the irritating StarClan she-cat, apparently they were niece and aunt respectively, had been in her camp for the past two days. And she was _really_ getting one Brownpaw's nerves. So kind! So warm-hearted! So... _nice_ ( Brownpaw hated the word ). And so _respectful_ of all the other cats. Except Brownpaw. She seemed to think herself invulnerable to Brownpaw's threats and curses. Perhaps she was. Mind you, her little silver friend was far worse than her. And so was that ginger she-cat over there, who was this red she-cat's cousin, and a real pain in the neck.

"I say _thanks_ when cats give me something. Like a piece of fresh-kill," the red she-cat, what was her name?, said patiently, mischief sparkling in her eyes. Brownpaw would have loved to claw the she-cat's eyes out, but the prophecy stated that the she-cat had to live, or else they were all doomed. _Forever doomed_ was what that mouse-brained prophecy said.

"Why would I want to do that!" Brownpaw glowered at the she-cat. How dare she insinuate that Brownpaw had to be _thankful_ for what other cats did for her?

"Because it's polite. Cherrypaw says it all the time!" the silver piece of mouse dung said. If Brownpaw remembered correctly, the silver piece of mouse dung was called _Silverpaw_. Horrible name. Not as bad as... what did the silver piece of mouse dung call the red-furred she-cat? Cherrypaw. Yes. Now _that_ was a name for a weakling! _Cherry_paw! Not ferocious or threatening in the slightest.

"I don't care about _polite_! Flame! Take these two mouse-brains away! No, wait! Take away the grey one. I need to talk to the red one," Brownpaw order sharply, and the bright orange tom grabbed the protesting silver she-cat by the scruff and dragged her away. Sighing in relief, Brownpaw turned to the red one, "Now, it's high time I taught _you_ something of _my_ ways. After all, I've spent the last two days having to learn _yours_! Don't you always go on about fairness?"

Was it just her imagination, or did the red she-cat pale? Ah, Brownpaw loved the look of fright on the she-cat's eyes. No, wait. She had to refer to her by name, if that StarClan she-cat was to be heeded. Fine. Brownpaw referred to all of the members of the Others by name, so what difference would it make to refer to this cat by name?

"But... but...," the she-cat stammered, scared all of a sudden. _Not 'the she-cat', Brownpaw. Her name is Cherrypaw_. Brownpaw reminded herself.

"What? You don't _want_ to? I didn't notice you listened to my objections! Come on! Claw reported seeing a strange cat on my territory yesterday. We're going to see if it's still there. Ice! Tiger! Come with us," Brownpaw commanded, turning around. Cherrypaw followed, with her tail drooping.

Five minutes later, Brownpaw had to admit that the red she-cat was getting to be a very good climber, and they were in the forest. Immediately at ease, Brownpaw sniffed the air. Nothing unfamiliar here. She stalked onwards, the three other cats trailing behind her. It didn't take long before she heard Tiger calling her name, and she whirled around to see the tom's tail disappear into the bushes on her left. The red she-cat stood in front of those bushes, unsure what to do.

"Well, come on! Follow him!" Brownpaw said sharply, and Cherrypaw flinched. Hurriedly, the red she-cat disappeared into the bushes behind Tiger, followed by Ice. After looking around to make sure there was no cat behind them, Brownpaw followed the others.

_Lizardpaw shows more promise than her_, Brownpaw grumbled in her tom was certainly a lot more ruthless than Cherrypaw, and Brownpaw appreciated that. But she could also see that the red-furred she-cat had potential. It was only a matter of time before Cherrypaw would start to realise that herself.

Up ahead, she saw Tiger freeze. Creeping towards him, Brownpaw crouched down just in front of him, and examined the forest around them. Her eyes immediately darted to a corner of the forest that looked just a bit darker than the rest of it. Sure enough, she could make out a feline shape in the shadows, and felt the fur on her neck rising. She felt the familiar rage that she always had to endure whenever a strange cat trespassed on her territory. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cherrypaw shrink back just a bit.

The feline shape stepped out of the shadows, _Big mistake!_ Brownpaw thought, and the cat looked around the forest cautiously. Now that she could see her target clearly, she realised it was a long-legged grey she-cat. One that she had seen trespassing on her territory once before, but Brownpaw hadn't been fast enough to catch her. Brownpaw cursed her legs for not being as long as the she-cat's, if they had been, then she might have caught her. But now Brownpaw had reinforcements. Not counting Cherrypaw, who really wasn't much use when it came to attacking another cat.

Flicking her tail to show that they were to stay behind, unless needed, Brownpaw stealthily made her way towards the she-cat. As soon as she judged herself close enough to leap, she launched herself high into the air, landing down on the bigger cat's back, and unsheathing her claws. The cat howled in pain, and automatically rolled over, knocking the breath out of Brownpaw. Quickly, Brownpaw crawled out from under the she-cat, and leaped onto the other cat's belly. Moons of practice had enabled her to complete this within a few seconds, and the other cat's eyes widened in surprise and fear as she realised who her attacker was. Holding out one paw that had unsheathed claws near the cat's neck, Brownpaw made sure that her victim wouldn't escape. The red-furred she-cat would have to find out what it was like to kill another cat.

"Bring her out!" Brownpaw ordered icily, and the two toms shoved the horrified Cherrypaw out of the bushes where she had been hiding. Turning her attention back to the grey she-cat, Brownpaw leaned closer and snarled, "Do you know whose territory this is?"

The she-cat swallowed, and managed to spit out, "Yes. Of course. How could I fail to know? All the other cats tell me about it, day and night."

"Then why have you decided to trespass?" Brownpaw growled, her claws were now touching the other cat's neck. She could feel the suppressed fear radiating from the grey she-cat's body, and, unsurprisingly, relished it. Fear was an emotion that Brownpaw could understand, and one that she knew how to react to.

"Your territory is too large! It's unfair on all the others living here!" the she-cat gasped for breath as a trickle of blood ran down her neck from where Brownpaw's claws had pressed.

"_Fair_? What do I care about fairness? Do I look like the kind of cat who worries about it?" Brownpaw questioned the other she-cat in a voice full of hostility. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cherrypaw try in vain to shrink back, away from the two she-cats, but Tiger blocked Cherrypaw's way.

"No," the she-cat stammered, finally letting her fear show on her face. Not that Brownpaw hadn't noticed it before. Brownpaw was very good at telling what other cats were feeling. Something that came in handy when dealing with more formidable enemies.

"What's your name?" Brownpaw asked, not out of curiosity, of course. Rather, it was for record. She remembered the name of every single cat she had ever killed or had ordered killed. It was also useful to be able to name them as examples to any cat who thought about trespassing or disobeying.

"Crystal," the cat whimpered. Brownpaw wondered briefly what kind of a name that was, and thought that perhaps the she-cat was lying. It wouldn't be the first time. The name sounded like a kittypet name. Maybe the cat had kittypet origins. It didn't matter much, either way. This cat was doomed.

"No! Wait! You can't kill her!" Cherrypaw spoke up, and both she-cats stared at the apprentice in astonishment, although Brownpaw was also rather angry that Cherrypaw had dared to speak out against her.

"Why not?" Brownpaw snarled angrily, her brown eyes flashing in rage at being interrupted.

"Because... because... because Budrose said... you had to _learn_," Cherrypaw said quietly, in the hope that Brownpaw would understand. Of course she understood. Did that red she-cat think she was dumb? But no. This cat would have to die. Cherrypaw had said too much already, and the she-cat would get suspicious. It was bad enough that Tiger and Ice had to hear it too. At least they had been members for long enough to make Brownpaw feel a little less suspicious of them.

"Not this time. And _never_ interrupt me again, or you'll be heading the same way as this cat," and with that Brownpaw sank her claws into the grey she-cat's neck, watching with distaste as the cat's blue eyes dulled. Then she felt the grey she-cat's body go limp, and she leaped off.

Cherrypaw stared in horror as the she-cat died, and then looked at Brownpaw in disbelief and outrage. She felt like yelling at the brown she-cat, but her tongue felt numb. How could any cat do such a thing so thoughtlessly? Without any hesitation? How could Budrose expect her to be like _this_ cat? _Never, not even in a thousand moons_, Cherrypaw thought vehemently. Looking at Brownpaw now, Cherrypaw feared her even more than she had when she first saw her. Seeing her kill in cold-blood had certainly helped to achieve that.

Brownpaw looked at Cherrypaw with disgust, presumably at her soft-heartedness, and spat, "If I ever hear you telling me what to do in front of other cats again, I'll make sure that you really do end up like countless of others have."

* * *

Cherrypaw stared at Brownpaw, shocked, and nodded dumbly. Quietly, she followed Tiger and Brownpaw back to the Others' camp; Ice had stayed behind to bury the she-cat. As soon as she was safe in the camp, if you ever were safe in this place, which Cherrypaw was doubting more and more, she ran off to where she and her companions had been assigned a den. It was away from all the other dens, as Brownpaw had said to them that her followers didn't think much of soft cats, and therefore wouldn't respect them. This was merely another way of saying that, if they shared the same den as most of the cats from the Others did, Cherrypaw and her companions probably wouldn't survive the day.

Nearing the entrance, Cherrypaw saw Willow. Willow was the only one of the many cats that had been kind to Cherrypaw and her companions. Nodding to Cherrypaw, Willow padded away, understanding that the red she-cat wanted to be left in peace for the time being. For that, Cherrypaw was heartily thankful for.

Squeezing inside, Cherrypaw curled up in a far corner of the den, and closed her eyes, trying to forget what had just happened. She realised now why all the cats here feared Brownpaw. For someone so young, she had managed to became a merciless killer in no time at all. How old was she? Thirteen moons? Maybe fourteen? About Cherrypaw's own age. Yet Brownpaw was much wiser in the ways of the world than Cherrypaw, and she felt like little more than a kit next to her.

"Cherrypaw? Cherrypaw?" she heard Troutpaw's voice come from outside the den, and then she heard pawsteps inside the den.

"Leave me alone!" Cherrypaw hissed, and then slapped her tail across her mouth, shocked by the amount of venom in her voice. Seeing Troutpaw's hurt face, she hastily apologised, "Sorry. I'm just... I can't... I went out on a patrol with Brownpaw."

Understanding flickered across Troutpaw's face, and he nodded quietly. "You saw the punishment for trespassers then?"

Cherrypaw looked up at Troutpaw in amazement, "You mean you have, too?"

Looking away, he merely nodded. Then he padded out of the den, leaving her alone once more with her thoughts. His comment had made Cherrypaw wonder exactly how many of her companions had witnessed what she had. Surely she hadn't been the last to see it? Why hadn't anyone told her about it? _Because you knew what it was, Cherrypaw. You may try to deny it, but you knew it all the same_, Cherrypaw answered her own question gloomily. What had Budrose done to her? It was one thing trying to make Brownpaw behave more like Cherrypaw, but another thing entirely to make Cherrypaw behave like _Brownpaw_. Budrose didn't honestly expect Cherrypaw to be able to kill as mercilessly as Brownpaw... did she? What good would that do anyone?

_According to the prophecy, there's going to be a fight of sorts. You'd be pretty useless in it if you didn't know how to fight, wouldn't you? And, admit it, you aren't the best fighter. Probably one of the worst in your Clan._ It was true, Cherrypaw abhorred violence. The only time she could remember attacking a cat was when she had seen Shadestar murder Rosefur. But that had been different. Crystal hadn't done anything except trespass, and not even ShadowClan killed because of that. Very rarely, anyway.

More pawsteps echoed in the den, and Cherrypaw raised her head once again. Why so many interruptions? Couldn't she be left in peace? _Peace_. That seemed in short supply here, even though Laurel, one of the queens, had named her kit that. Perhaps Laurel had hoped that naming her kit 'Peace' would somehow make things more peaceful. It didn't seem to have worked.

"Cherrypaw? Troutpaw said that you'd seen the punishment," Lizardpaw murmured, his voice sympathetic. Yet, when Cherrypaw looked up, his green eyes, usually bright with good humour, were stony and grim.

"Go away," Cherrypaw mumbled, turning her head away. It wasn't something she wanted to talk about. At least Troutpaw had understood that and left her in peace. Alone. That was what she wanted. Lizardpaw was more persistent than Troutpaw had been, however, and he sat down a few pawsteps away from her, his face hard.

"Cherrypaw, don't you understand that that's how things are done around here? It's the battle of the strongest. The quickest. The most ruthless. If Brownpaw hadn't done what she did, then soon other cats would be spreading the news that she was now soft-hearted. And that's the last thing a cat in her position wants," Lizardpaw told her in a voice to match his expression. Hard. Cold. Unfeeling. Like Brownpaw's. _Great StarClan_, Cherrypaw thought in alarm. _What's happened to him?_

"This is not your world. This is another world. A harder, more violent world. We're not in ThunderClan any more, where life can be quite easy. Admit it. We were pampered cats in ThunderClan. But this place _isn't_ ThunderClan. StarClan aren't going to exile cats to a soft and inviting place where prey is easy to catch, are they? What would be the point of that?" Lizardpaw continued, his voice still as hard as ever. Cherrypaw knew that he was right, but she didn't like the idea of having to harden up herself. She didn't want to become like Brownpaw.

"If you want to defeat whatever we're going to defeat, you're not going to do that by acting like a kit and running away when life gets too hard. When life gets too violent, you won't always be able to curl up and try to forget things. You're not helping anyone by doing this, Cherrypaw. Least of all yourself. So _grow up_," Lizardpaw hissed these last words, and stalked out of the den. When had he changed? What had happened to him in the last few days to make him act so much like Brownpaw and all the other cats around here?

Cherrypaw recoiled from his last words, and stared, frozen, as he stalked out of the den. She wished the ground would hurry up and swallow her, so that she wouldn't have to be here any more. She wanted to be in her comfortable den in ThunderClan, to be able to look forward to the future like she once had. She squeezed her eyes shut in the hope that this would all be a terrible dream. Yet, when she opened them again, she realised that she was still in the same den, and her heart still felt as heavy as it had been feeling since she had seen Brownpaw kill Crystal. No, much to her disappointment, this was _not_ a dream. It was all real, and, no matter how much she wished, it wouldn't go away.

And then she promised herself something. She promised herself that she would never _ever_ become like Brownpaw. _Never_. But she also promised herself that she would toughen up. She knew that Lizardpaw was right. And she had never felt more alone in her entire life.

**I felt like writing something a bit darker, and I thought that Cherrypaw still hadn't managed to understand what position she was in. Now she does. Mwuahahaha! But this is a serious chapter, and I don't want to think of it in any other way. **

**As this is my first Brownpaw/Cherrypaw chapter ( as in I switched view points ), I wanted to contrast the way Brownpaw felt about killing to the way Cherrypaw felt about it. I wanted to contrast their upbringing and the way they had been taught to look at the world. I don't know if I entirely succeeded, and I hope this isn't pointlessly dark to you.**

**Please R&R!**


	16. Chapter 15: Changing

**Here is chapter 15! This is quite possibly the worst chapter I've written, so I might as well publish it quickly and get it over with =wince=. I honestly had to have a 'filler-in' chapter. Also, I needed to show how Cherrypaw was adapting to a new environment. So... if you really don't want to read it... er... um... don't read. **

Changing

Cherrypaw saw Sunstream looking at the newborn kits with the same mixture of admiration and awe that she had seen on Magpieflight's face, and sighed. Was it always this way with other she-cats? Was _she_ the odd one? To Cherrypaw, they looked pretty much the same as Daisyflight's had, scrawny and pretty ugly. Maybe that would change as she got older.

"What are their names?" Brownpaw asked roughly, not looking particularly enchanted with the new arrivals, either.

"Dusty and Owl," Willow mewed flicking her tail from a dusty brown she-cat and a white tom. As white as an owl that Cherrypaw had once seen, long ago. Their names suited them, unlike some of the Clan names.

"Dusty Owl! Dusty Owl!" Robin, Laurel's son and brother to Peace, chanted. He looked extremely amused by the names.

"Oh look, I've seen something...," Peace started with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Was it a dusty owl?" her brother asked merrily, and then howled with laughter at his own joke. To be honest, Cherrypaw thought it was a pretty pathetic joke, but then she had cracked jokes similar to that when she was his age.

"Yes, come to think of it, it was!" Peace roared with laughter. Her name really wasn't very suitable, Cherrypaw decided, recalling how un-peaceful Peace was.

"Shush! You're disturbing the kits! Everyone of you out!" Laurel ordered them. To her surprise, even Brownpaw obeyed the command. Brownpaw's nose was wrinkled with distaste, so she obviously wasn't too displeased to be leaving the nursery.

Cherrypaw's ears flicked in the direction of where Silverpaw and Gingerpaw were arguing yet again. She wondered what it was now. Judging by the way they were looking at each other, she thought it would be a safe bet to say that someone would need to intervene soon, unless they wanted the two she-cats to start fighting with claws instead of words. At that very moment, she saw Branchclaw interrupt the two cats patiently, and, although she couldn't hear the words he was saying, she guessed they must be pretty harsh words, despite his patient expression, for the two she-cats immediately stopped arguing. They hung their heads in what was meant to be the picture of shame, but it looked more like they were enjoying themselves.

Looking around for someone to talk to, Cherrypaw realised that everybody was occupied, except herself. Of course. Brownpaw didn't tolerate cats lying around in the camp, sunning themselves, like Cherrypaw had so often done in the ThunderClan camp. No, cats here were always busy doing _something_, whether it was hunting, patrolling, fetching bedding, or even arguing over which cats the next patrol should contain.

Feeling guilty for her laziness, and a sharp sting as she remembered Lizardpaw's words to her, Cherrypaw padded up to Thorn to ask if it would be okay for her to go on the next patrol. She didn't like the tom much, as he was even more cruel than Brownpaw, but he _was_ the second-in-command, so she knew that he would know where she was needed. He didn't think too highly of either her hunting skills or fighting skills, but he had grudgingly admitted she was quite an observant cat, and good for patrols. This was something nobody had ever complimented her on before. In ThunderClan, Cherrypaw had always been considered one of the least useful cats in the Clan, not even good at patrolling.

"You can go on Brownfur's patrol. It leaves in a few minutes," Thorn said automatically as he saw her padding towards him. Flicking his tail in the direction of Brownpaw's mother, he continued, "Shadow, Leaf, and your friend are on it."

Cherrypaw winced as she realised which friend Thorn was talking about. Lizardpaw. He was the currently the only Clan cat here who got any respect from the members of the Others. Certainly the only one to have the honour of going out on the killing patrols, as they liked to call the patrols that had the sole purpose of getting rid of any trespassers that had been reported. How he could go on any of those, she really didn't know.

"Th...okay," Cherrypaw quickly cut off the 'thanks' that had been on the tip of her tongue. For some reason that wasn't that hard to guess, the cats here didn't take well to being thanked. Padding off towards Brownfur, Cherrypaw wondered what sort of enemy the prophecy was talking about. 'Light' usually wasn't referred to as the enemy.

"Hi, Brownfur. Thorn told me that I could come on your patrol...?" Cherrypaw made the sentence turn into a question, as she wasn't sure whether she would be welcome on it. After all, she wasn't exactly _popular_ among the Others.

To her relief, the dark brown she-cat nodded. "Of course. We're just waiting for Leaf."

Cherrypaw made a noise that was was meant to be an 'okay', but turned out more like a grunt. She studied the she-cat in front of her curiously. Up till now, she hadn't seen much of Brownpaw's mother, who preferred to keep away from her daughter when possible. Brownfur was a very pretty she-cat, her fur was short and glossy, with hints of red in it. Her eyes were an ice blue colour that gave off a lot more warmth than her daughter's cold brown ones. She wasn't a particularly big cat, quite small, in fact. Yet she, like her daughter, had an air of authority around here. The difference between her and her daughter was that the air of authority that Brownfur gave off was a quiet one. Brownpaw had an aggressive air about her, one that was meant to, and did, keep most cats at a distance.

Cherrypaw risked a sideways glance at Lizardpaw, who was pointedly ignoring her. He was talking about the latest victim of the Others, one who had been caught trespassing. Shadow was listening to him, nodding seriously as Lizardpaw went over the more gory details.

"Ah, here she is," Brownfur murmured as another brown she-cat trotted towards them. Leaf. One of the queens here, although her single kit was already six moons, or maybe even more. Leaf, however, hadn't been willing to move away from the nursery, so Brownpaw, who hadn't had the time or patience for arguing with a stubborn queen, had relented.

"Okay, come on!" Brownfur said in her usual confident voice, and leaped up onto the precarious path the lead in and out of the camp. She navigated her way up the sheer cliff without any difficulty, and Cherrypaw, who was bringing up the rear, was pleased to find that she herself didn't have any trouble either. Lizardpaw was almost better at climbing up the cliff than Brownfur was, and Cherrypaw had to admit he fit in very well with the Others. So well that you wouldn't realise that he hadn't been one of the ones who had been born here.

"I want to split us into two groups. Lizardpaw, you can take Shadow and Cherrypaw with you to check out the west border. I'll take Leaf and go on the east border." Brownfur announced, turning away from Lizardpaw. Cherrypaw gawped at the tom, amazed that Brownfur trusted him enough to lead a _patrol_. _He really _does_ fit in here_, Cherrypaw thought bitterly.

Lizardpaw nodded seriously, and turned in the opposite direction, flicking his tail to show that Cherrypaw and Shadow should follow. To her surprise, Shadow didn't even object to Lizardpaw leading them, which gave her the sneaking suspicion that Lizardpaw might have led a patrol before.

Nobody bothered to say anything during the entire patrol from and back to the camp. Silence had settled on the group like a very heavy rain cloud. Shadow didn't seem to notice the awkwardness that hung in the air. Perhaps it was because too many of the cats in the Others weren't completely comfortable with each other. Or maybe he simply had other things on his mind. But Cherrypaw did notice, and, not for the first time, she wholeheartedly wished that Lizardpaw would be just that little bit friendlier. Hadn't she heeded his advice, orders more like, and gone on patrols? Hadn't she tried to harden herself up that bit more? Or was Lizardpaw toughening himself up, and blocking out all emotions like most cats here did? All emotions except anger and hatred, that was. She wondered what Magpieflight would have done and said to him if she was here.

As soon as they were back in camp, Lizardpaw padded off in the direction of the fresh-kill pile, and picked up a small mouse. Then he sat down in a far corner of the camp, next to Claw. Cherrypaw wondered what she should do now. Deciding that, instead of suffering the sleepless nights that she had over the past few days, worrying about what her future had in store for her, she should tire herself out.

So, having decided that, she promptly trotted off towards Thorn, who told her that she could go on the hunting patrol that Ice was taking out.

Throughout the short day, Cherrypaw constantly went on any patrol she was allowed on. It didn't matter to her that her limbs began to feel weary after the first four, nor did it occur to her that none of her companions, save for Lizardpaw, had gone out on any that day. She was determined to wear herself out, in the hope that she would get a good sleep that night. What _did_ occur to her was that there were a great many patrols in the day, and she realised there were also a great many more cats here than there were in both ThunderClan and one of the other Clans put together. She supposed Brownpaw wasn't in any shortage of cats who wanted to become members.

As the sun disappeared among the numerous trees that the Place of the Exiled contained, Cherrypaw did indeed feel fatigued. She sincerely hoped that she had contributed enough prey to the fresh-kill pile to be able to take a piece of fresh-kill from it, as she was starving. Purely for the sake of it, she counted the prey she had caught: two mice, one pigeon ( that one had been very hard to catch ), and three thrushes. Five pieces of fresh-kill. Not much to feed a group of cats as big as this one, but more than she usually managed to catch in a day. Her hunting skills had improved a little bit, and she was extremely proud of this. Maybe she would one day be as good a hunter as her father was reputed to have been.

Snatching a mouse from the pile, she trotted over to where a huge tree spread out its branches in one corner of the camp, and lay down to eat the mouse. It tasted good in her mouth, and she devoured it quickly. Her stomach growled as soon as she had finished it, and Cherrypaw was tempted to get up and take another piece, but, seeing that the fresh-kill pile really wasn't that big, she resisted the temptation. There were plenty of other cats who hadn't eaten, and they wouldn't like it if a cat who wasn't even part of the Others helped herself to two pieces within an hour. Besides, it was now quite dark in the camp, and most cats had retired to their dens to sleep. The few that hadn't were sitting in random points all around the camp, keeping watch.

"Hey! Cherrypaw! I've been looking for you all day! Where have you _been_?" Silverpaw's voice rang out in the clearing, and the silver she-cat hastily lowered her voice as she reached Cherrypaw. "Well? Come on! Tell me!"

"Out on patrols," Cherrypaw said dully, looking down at her paws.

"What kind of patrols? How come you took all day about it? And did you just say patrol_s_?" Silverpaw said curiously, looking Cherrypaw over. "You look tired."

"Hunting patrols, border patrols. Fortunately not a killing patrol," Cherrypaw replied, ignoring Silverpaw's comment on her tiredness. Silverpaw had a habit of stating the obvious.

"Patrol_s_! How many?" the silver she-cat enquired with interest, her eyes sparkling happily. Nothing seemed to get Silverpaw down. Not even in an environment like this.

"Um... was I supposed to count? I dunno... four or five?" Cherrypaw guessed, even though she knew it was more likely that she'd been on seven or eight. But she didn't want the other cats to know that. They wouldn't understand why she was tiring herself out on purpose.

"Wow! D'you think _I_ should go on a patrol?" Silverpaw asked excitedly, her eyes shining at the idea.

"Ask Thorn," another voice told the grey she-cat. Cherrypaw looked up to see Lizardpaw approaching them. She instinctively got up and started to walk away. She didn't want to talk to Lizardpaw at that moment. Silverpaw had already bounded away in search of the second-in-command, leaving Cherrypaw feeling quite alone.

Cherrypaw hurriedly slid inside the den where the seven foreign cats were sleeping, and curled up in a ball. She felt that Lizardpaw had betrayed them all by becoming like one of the Others. What did Brownpaw do to traitors? Ah, yes. The death sentence. The moment she had thought it, Cherrypaw was horrified at herself, and buried her face in her tail, hoping to rid herself of such disgusting and cold-blooded thoughts. Was she really becoming more like Brownpaw? She hoped not.

"Allow yourself to become like her, Cherrypaw. You can't stay the way you are forever. Just don't become too much like her. For my sake, don't do that," Budrose's voice said softly, and then Cherrypaw heard another voice. One that she hadn't heard for a long time.

"Budrose is right. Nobody can stay the same forever. Not even in StarClan. You see things that change you, and meet other cats who change you. Don't resist it too strongly, because it's pointless. You like the way you are, I know that. But you're going to _have_ to become stronger. When this is over, you might not like the way you have changed, though," Rosefur's firm voice made Cherrypaw's eyes shoot open, and there, in front of her, was her mother. The bigger she-cat laughed softly, and then disappeared.

_When this is over... you might not like the way you have changed... but you're going to _have_ to become stronger... you can't stay the way you are forever... don't become too much like her... for my sake,_ the words rang out in Cherrypaw's head as she drifted off to sleep. The world was really too complicated for her own liking, and sleep was the perfect way to shed her fears for just a few precious hours. Maybe it would do her good.

**Okay, so this is a pretty pointless chapter. No, _very_ pointless, and I don't expect to get good reviews for it. Nevertheless, all reviews ( except the ones who don't give a reason for being critical ) are welcomed, especially if the criticism is constructive!**


	17. Chapter 16: Magpieflight

**I decided to go on a publishing spree! I've been too busy to publish until now, and I may not get another chance like this! Why am I here? My brother and cousin beat me in a game of Monopoly. So I was told to leave the game. Haha... oh well. Never mind.**

**Chapter 16 is here! As the guests in Zoo Tycoon 2 are frequently heard to say: 'Woohoo! Yay!" I actually find it quite amusing to hear them say that, goodness knows why. Poor sense of humour alert, anyone?**

**Now, let's hope this chapter makes up for that dreadful chapter 15, that really didn't have any story in it whatsoever.**

**I don't usually choose a song for a chapter ( as you may have gathered if you read chapters 1-15 ), but I think 'On My Own' from the musical 'Les Miserables' is relatively suitable for how Magpieflight is feeling in this chapter.**

Rumours

Magpieflight missed Lizardpaw. Very much so. Every waking moment was occupied with thoughts of him, and worry at how he was. Indeed, even the sleeping moments were often full of dreams about him. She couldn't understand how he would leave her alone. He had to have had no choice. Lizardpaw loved her, didn't he? She knew that she wouldn't leave _him_ if she had had the choice. Yet doubt lingered in her mind: What if he really _had_ chosen to leave her? Was he tired of her? Did he not love her any more?

It hurt even more when she saw how happy Dovesky was with Tigerstripe. Even her other sister, Pigeonfeather, had found a 'soulmate' in the deputy, Yellowfire. Not that Magpieflight was _unhappy_ for them. Quite the opposite. It was just that she felt left out. All of the cats in the Clan, that weren't apprentices or kits or medicine cats, had mates. Except for Thrushstar and Cloudfur. Forbidden love wasn't something that appealed particularly to her, either. None of the toms in the other Clans were thought of by her as anything more than friends. No, the only tom that she loved was Lizardpaw. And he was gone.

Cherrypaw had also gone. She knew that the red-furred she-cat didn't think of her as her best-friend any more, but Magpieflight still thought of Cherrypaw as that. No amount of time could change it. Silverpaw was gone, too. Bright, cheery, happy-go-lucky Silverpaw. And Branchclaw. Not that Magpieflight missed _him_ much. She and Branchclaw had never been close friends.

"Magpieflight!" Pigeonfeather padded up to her, excited at something or other. Magpieflight had a sinking feeling that she knew what it was.

"Hi," Magpieflight mumbled dumbly.

Pigeonfeather was practically radiating happiness as she said in a low voice, "I'm expecting kits!"

Magpieflight nodded, unsurprised. Trying to put on a cheerful face for her sister, the least she could do for her, she said in a faintly happy voice, "That's great! Does Yellowfire know?"

Pigeonfeather nodded, and looked at Magpieflight anxiously, her happiness leaving her as quickly as if the wind had blown it away. "Are you okay? You should get some rest. You're looking as weak as a newborn kit. Lizardpaw won't be happy to know that you're starving yourself."

Magpieflight said nothing. Pigeonfeather didn't understand what she was feeling. Had Yellowfire ever left _her_? No. Magpieflight thought not. After all, a deputy wouldn't go gallivanting around who knows where. Unless you were a Firestar, which she seriously doubted Yellowfire was. And a deputy most certainly would _not_ forget to tell at least _one_ other cat where he was going. Firestar had taken Sandstorm with him on one of his journeys. Why couldn't Lizardpaw have done the same with her?

"_Magpieflight_! Get a grip on yourself! If he's gone, he's gone! Nothing you do will change that! Now, Thrushstar wants you to go to the Gathering tonight. And _don't_ mope around. Enjoy yourself," Pigeonfeather said, her sympathy vanishing. She was staring at Magpieflight sternly, and then she shook her head and padded off.

Dovesky understood Magpieflight better. After all, they were from the same litter. Pigeonfeather had been from another litter, and she was a good eight or more moons older than Dovesky and Magpieflight. Pigeonfeather had never understood Magpieflight. Never. They were too different in personality. Pigeonfeather had had a constant I-don't-care attitude as an apprentice, which had later evolved into a strangely detached-from-the-world-around-me personality. This gave Pigeonfeather an other-worldly air, one that most cats couldn't understand. Magpieflight, on the other hand, had always been a very down-to-earth cat. Practical, logical, and not given to daydreaming.

Nevertheless, in this case, Magpieflight found herself looking forward to the Gathering. Perhaps she could forget Lizardpaw for a while. Yes, that's what she'd do. Forget. Go back to the way she had been before she had met him. When she and Cherrypaw had been best friends, and the world had seemed so simple.

* * *

There was a swarm of cats around her, and Magpieflight took the chance to navigate her way away from the ThunderClan cats. Spotting a black tom that she had talked to several times before, she padded off in his direction.

"Oh, hi, Magpieflight," the tom acknowledged her presence with a nod. She had first met him when they had both been attending their first Gathering. He was a WindClan warrior called Stoneblaze, and was incredibly gruff if he didn't know you. Once you did know him, however, he was quite a friendly cat.

"How is ThunderClan dealing with the missing cats?" Stoneblaze continued quietly, casting an anxious look around at the gathered cats, as if fearing they might hear what he was saying.

Magpieflight froze, and narrowed her eyes at him. How did he know that ThunderClan was missing some of their cats? Surely Thrushstar's instructions that no cat was to say anything about the missing cats was enough to keep it secret? Or had WindClan been spying on ThunderClan?

"Don't bother denying it. I already know, although I'm not saying from who. We all have the same problem, though: RiverClan is missing Troutpaw, ShadowClan is missing Gingerpaw, and WindClan is missing Sunstream," Stoneblaze chuckled. He didn't seem too worried by the amount of missing cats they were. Perhaps he knew something that the others didn't. Magpieflight's heart lifted in hope.

"You seem to know all the Clan cats pretty well," Magpieflight said, a touch of suspicion in her tone. She knew Stoneblaze well enough to realise that he was a cat who observed and listened to other cats' conversations. He knew almost everything there was to know about the four Clans, but he only repeated what he could confirm with certainty. This was why, at previous Gatherings, Magpieflight had spoken to him, because he was a very reliable source of information.

"Of course. Not everybody always talks to the same cats," he said lightly. Magpieflight knew that he was referring to her shyness and natural suspicion of any cat she didn't know. It wasn't her best character trait, she had to admit, but how could she help it when the elders' stories, and her own experience, told her to be wary of strangers?

"Do you know where they've gone?" Magpieflight asked hopefully, not trying to conceal her excitement at the idea.

Looking at her sympathetically, he shrugged. "I can't be sure. There are rumours and such, but then there always _are_ rumours when things like this happen. Lizardpaw disappeared with the rest, correct?"

Magpieflight shook her head, disappointed. "Yes. Could you tell me some of the rumours, maybe?"

Stoneblaze looked at her, uncertain. He was a thoughtful cat, she'd give him that much. Hurting other cats' feelings was one of the things he despised doing, and she knew how guilty he'd be if he gave her false hopes. Nevertheless, Magpieflight wanted to learn anything possible from the black tom, even if the things she learnt might not be true.

"Please? I really want to know! I won't pass them on, I promise!" Magpieflight begged. She hated how desperate she sounded. _I'm acting like a lovesick cat... which I am... but still..._

"Fine. Okay," he lowered his voice, and checked to make sure no cats could hear them. "The rumours say that all the seven cats that are missing joined up together, and headed for the Place of Big Monsters. You know? The one the elders' are always saying is the birthplace of the huge monsters. Bigger even than the usual ones. The one very few cats have traveled to."

Magpieflight's heart began to beat faster as she took all this in. It was very possible. Incredibly likely, in fact. She had often heard Lizardpaw saying how much he wished he could go to that place, especially after he'd heard that very few cats came back from it. He had always been such an adventurer, a cat who liked to hear the most gruesome stories, and one who had always wanted to be in the gruesome stories himself. She had never understood why.

"Yes?" Magpieflight breathed, her breath misting in the air. It was unusually cold tonight. "And?"

"It's said that they plan to defeat an unknown enemy. It doesn't sound very likely that there really _is_ an enemy for them to defeat, though," Stoneblaze added hastily, when he saw Magpieflight's alarm at his words. "And they also say that the seven cats will..."

"What?" Magpieflight asked worriedly, for she saw Stoneblaze freeze as he left the sentence hanging in the air. She could see he was regretting even starting his sentence. It was something bad. She knew it was. And she _had_ to know. Even if it meant that she would have sleepless nights.

Stoneblaze said nothing at first, even when Magpieflight pressed for an answer. He seemed too unwilling. It was something that she wouldn't like at all. Her heat felt like it would burst because it was beating so rapidly.

"Tell me!" Magpieflight said, her voice low, just in case anybody might overhear her. "I don't care if it's bad or good, just tell me!"

"It's _just_ a rumour, okay? Nothing I've told you can be confirmed." Stoneblaze hesitated before speaking the words that Magpieflight knew he would say. The ones she dreaded the most. "The rumours say that the seven cats will never return."


	18. Chapter 17: A Horrible Feeling

**A continuation of where I left off. Chapter 17 is up! And I know that chapter 16 wasn't very good, but I think it's _way_ better than chapter 15. I don't know about all of you, though.**

**And, how _did_ I make this mistake? I was re-reading Chapter 4, and I suddenly realised I made Cherrypaw say _un_ruffled, instead of _ruffled_. Gosh. That goes into my 'needs to be edited' section. =sigh= it's hard being an amateur writer.**

**So this is quite an abrupt and odd chapter, on the whole. I hope you can find it in your brains ( hearts apparently don't feel emotion... =grumbles= it doesn't sound half as nice to use the word 'brain'... ) to forgive me this chapter? No? Oh well...**

A Horrible Feeling

Magpieflight's heart stopped. If that was possible. The medecine cats insisted it wasn't, but Magpieflight didn't care what the medecine cats said. All she knew was that she felt awful. It was the horrible feeling she'd been waiting for the moment Stoneblaze had trailed off the first time round. A horrible feeling that she'd never see her Lizardpaw again.

"I'm sorry," Stoneblaze mumbled, looking ashamed of himself.

"Don't worry. It's not _you_ who is spreading rumours like that." Magpieflight assured him quickly, although her heart felt dead in her chest. _Never return_. Did that mean that Lizardpaw would die? Or did it mean that he would live, but would never come back to her?

"It's just as bad repeating them," Stoneblaze said guiltily. He really did look almost as awful as she felt, although it was for entirely different reasons.

A loud yowl from Shadestar interrupted them. The black she-cat stepped forward, her green eyes serious as she mewed loudly, "ShadowClan's prey is plentiful. I am sad to announce, though, that our elder, Darkfur, joined StarClan last night."

Murmurs of sympathy and sadness filled the air like a thousand buzzing bees. Darkfur had been an unusually benevolent ShadowClan cat, and had always been willing to give advice to any cat who wanted it. Darkfur had also been a much respected deputy before retiring early, because she had wanted to have kits. Magpieflight had had the privilege of meeting her several times before Darkfur had joined the elders, and once after that. When the sound had died down, Shadestar continued. "However, there is also good news. Blackheart, one of our queens, has had two healthy kits. They are called Blackkit and Redkit. I have no more news to report."

Magpieflight heard a cat next to her mutter something about Blackheart. From the lack of reaction from the surrounding cats, she gathered that Blackheart wasn't very popular among the gathered cats. Probably she was a typical ShadowClan cat. Cold, unsympathetic, proud, and cunning. Magpieflight didn't hold ShadowClan in high regard.

Then Thrushstar stepped forward, and Magpieflight listened carefully, wondering how much he would leave unsaid. The black and white tom began to speak in an uncharacteristically loud voice. "Prey is reasonably plentiful in ThunderClan. We have three new apprentices, Forestpaw, Leafpaw, and Dapplepaw. Leafpaw and Forestpaw are here with us today."

Naturally, all eyes turned to the two apprentices mentioned. Leafpaw hastily ducked her head in embarrassment, but Forestpaw held his own head high, pride in his blue eyes. _Conceited litte thing_, Magpieflight thought with disdain. Then she reproached herself for thinking so harshly of a fellow ThunderClan cat.

"We also have a new warrior, Rockheart. He is here with us, too." Thrushstar continued, his voice rising above the murmurs of the gathered cats. Magpieflight glanced briefly at Rockheart, who seemed partly proud, partly sad. He was still missing Cherrypaw and Silverpaw, she guessed. He had been very close to both of them, and was sad that Cherrypaw hadn't been made a warrior with him. They had both been apprenticed at the same time, and Magpieflight knew that not only Cherrypaw would have been made a warrior, had she not disappeared. Lizardpaw would be a warrior as well. She hastily steered her thoughts clear of him, though.

"Rockheart's brother, Breezepaw, has completed his medecine cat training, and is now called Breezefur. There is also sad news. Both Brightshine and Blueclaw have joined StarClan," here Thrushstar bowed his head, and remained silent for a long time as the cats gathered murmured sympathetically. A few acknowledged Breezefur, but most ignored him. Breezefur was not a very sociable cat at the best of times, and feelings for him were cool at the most. Thrushstar cleared his throat, and said loudly, "That is all ThunderClan has to report."

At the mention of his father's name, Rockheart had bowed his head, too. Not only had Blueclaw been father to Rockheart, he had also been his mentor. He had died just after Rockheart's warrior ceremony, and Rockheart had been heart-broken. No cat in ThunderClan, apart from Rockheart himself, had been particularly fond of Blueclaw, so there hadn't been too much grieving for the tom. Even Breezefur hadn't been overwhelmed by grief. Breezefur and Blueclaw had never been very close, despite being father and son.

The RiverClan leader stepped forward then, and announced clearly. "RiverClan's prey is unusually plentiful, and we thank StarClan for this. Riverstep has had two healthy kits, Dawnkit and Nightkit. Our medecine cat, Mistflower, has taken on an apprentice. Cloudpaw, and his newly apprenticed sister, Moonpaw, are here now."

Warm congratulations came from many of the surrounding cats, and Magpieflight couldn't help peeking at the two apprentices mentioned. Both were looking rather cold and distant, although Cloudpaw acknowledged the congratulations with a certain amount of friendliness. His sister, on second thoughts, didn't actually look cold. She _did_ look distant, though, and had a dreamy air that reminded Magpieflight distinctly of her own sister, Pigeonfeather.

"And we also have a new warrior in our midst. Flowerpaw is now called Flowerheart," Freestar said in that smooth and subtly proud voice of his. Magpieflight's eyes flickered to an amazingly beautiful dark grey she-cat. The she-cat had unusual black swirls on her coat, and Magpieflight recalled what Stoneblaze had once told her about the she-cat's heritage. He had said that the medecine cat of RiverClan, Mistflower, was the dark grey she-cat's mother. Glancing at Mistflower, an equally beautiful light grey she-cat with dark green eyes, Magpieflight found that it wasn't hard to believe. And who said beauty wasn't inherited? Stoneblaze had also said that the deputy of RiverClan, Stonesnarl, was Flowerheart's father. A deputy for a father and a medecine cat for a mother. Now _that_ was an unusual combination.

Freestar's announcement caused more fuss, although of the pleasant sort. Flowerheart was congratulated over and over again, and it seemed to Magpieflight that nearly all of the cats gathered knew Flowerheart.

"That is all there is to report." Freestar said in a formal tone, and stepped back so that Brightstar could come forward to report on WindClan's wellbeing.

"WindClan has plenty of prey. We have a new warrior, Flyfoot. That is all I have to report, except that Sunstream has gone missing," an anxious note crept into the usually calm voice of Brightstar, and Magpieflight realised that the look in the leader's eyes when she had said the name was a motherly look. _Of course, you daft furball_, Magpieflight scolded herself for her stupidity. _Sunstream is Brightstar's kit. Although I don't think that the father is her mate, Harepelt. No. Harepelt became Brightstar's mate _after_ Sunstream and her sister, Lightshine, were born. That is, if the gossip is to be believed._

Murmurs of surprise escaped the mouths of many cats around Magpieflight. She realised that, of course, the wouldn't know what she already knew. Not all of them had talked to Stoneblaze. And the surprise was not only at the disappearance of the leader's daughter, but also because Brightstar had dared to announce it. She knew that none of the other Clan leaders would have announced it for fear of sounding weak. Yet nobody thought of Brightstar as weak because of her choice to speak about the disappearance. She wasn't the sort of cat you considered weak, despite her gentleness and forgiving nature.

"RiverClan is missing Troutpaw," Freestar ventured with uncharacteristic nervousness. All eyes flickered to the RiverClan leader in astonishment, and another gasp escaped the mouths of all the cats. WindClan might confess to such a thing. But RiverClan? _Surely_ not? Were their ears deceiving them? But no, he _had_ said that Troutpaw was missing. There was no mistaking that. Magpieflight herself gazed up at the RiverClan leader, suddenly afraid. She knew that countless other cats were thinking the same thing as she was: The disappearances were connected.

"ThunderClan is missing Branchclaw, Silverpaw, Lizardpaw, and Cherrypaw," Thrushstar said in a quiet voice, after what seemed like an eternity of silence. More echoes of surprise came from around the Island. What next? Those were the two words that every cat was thinking. All except the ShadowClan cats, who knew perfectly well 'what next'.

"Ha! The kittypet ran away did he?" a half-hearted taunt came from one of the ShadowClan cats. Everybody ignored it. Now wasn't the time for such things.

Shadestar hesitated, clearly unwilling to say anything, lest the other Clans should think ShadowClan weak. Yet even she said, in such a low voice that Magpieflight had to strain her ears to catch it. "Gingerpaw has disappeared, too."

And then the spell of silence that had been cast on all the cats was broken. Loud yowls of dismay and terror echoed throughout the clearing, replacing the painful silence. Many cats seemed more than just terrified, they were practically hysterical. Magpieflight couldn't understand why at first. Then she heard a voice rise above all others.

"StarClan is warning us of terrible things to come! They have punished us for something! We are all _doomed_!" an elderly cat cried in absolute terror. This outcry only made the cats gathered more nervous, and they began darting forward, and then running back. It was the strangest thing Magpieflight had ever seen in her life, watching all those masses of differently coloured pelts rising and falling, like the lake in a storm. Hard as she tried, an feeling of panic crept up her spine, and she shuddered.

Magpieflight was not a superstitious cat. She didn't believe in omens, either. Nor did she put much stock in prophecies sent by StarClan. She believed in StarClan, but she didn't believe that StarClan would be able to have as much power as to be able to warn cats of the future. After all, cats in StarClan had once been mortal and would have probably felt just as helpless as she herself was feeling now. Yet the panic was infectious, even if she didn't fear the thing that all the other cats were fearing. _They_ feared for what would happen to _them_. _Magpieflight_ feared for what had happened, or would happen, to the missing cats. She tried to reason with herself. Tell herself that it was entirely irrational to become scared. What help would that be to the cats who had disappeared? But Magpieflight could already feel the surge of fear and helplessness that threatened to engulf her. And it is doubtful that she would have been able to suppress the two feelings, had not a familiar face appeared right in front of her at that moment.

"Magpieflight! Magpieflight! Snap out of it!" Stoneblaze said in a commanding voice, yet it didn't have an effect on the usually sensible Magpieflight. She simply stared at him as if he wasn't there. She was too overwhelmed by her feelings.

Impatient, Stoneblaze grabbed Magpieflight roughly by the scruff, and hauled her away from the terrified crowd. As soon as they were what he considered a safe distance from the gathered cats, he once again tried to get her to 'snap out of it'.

"Magpieflight! Wake up! Hello!" he waved his paw in front of her eyes. To his relief, her eyes flickered, and she blinked at him in confusion. Then she registered the situation, and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just... I just...," Magpieflight said helplessly, and shrugged.

Stoneblaze looked at her disapprovingly. "You shouldn't let yourself get panic-stricken just because all the others are. I thought you were stronger than _that_. What that old mouse-brain said wasn't right. Do you honestly think that StarClan would harm perfectly innocent cats just to teach us a _lesson_?"

Magpieflight blinked as she realised that he was right. No matter how terribly one cat had behaved, StarClan wouldn't swoop down and punish everyone by making seven cats disappear all of a sudden.

"It's far more likely that they all chose to run away. Or maybe they have a mission. Remember what I told you before? A _journey_," Stoneblaze emphasised the word in the hope that Magpieflight would realise how insensibly she had believed the old cat's words.

"I know." Magpieflight managed to say, after trying to organise her thoughts. Yes. Stoneblaze was right. StarClan would _never_ take away seven cats without a _very_ good reason for it.

"And all of us panicking is _not_ going to help anything," Stoneblaze continued firmly. Before she could say a word, the tom stepped out of the bushes where he had dragged her, and disappeared into the still wildly running masses of cats. She saw him leap up onto the tree that the leaders used to address the cats. There was no sign of the leaders.

"EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!" Stoneblaze's voice was louder and more commanding than Magpieflight ever heard it before. Some of the cats stopped to stare and glare at him. Satisfied that he had got some of the cats attention, Stoneblaze yelled again. "LISTEN! _EVERYONE_! LISTEN!"

As the last word rang out over the Island, the cats fell silent. It was like Stoneblaze's words had cast another spell over them. One of silence and, for want of a better word, obedience. All the cats, even the leaders, stared up at the tom in surprise. And hope. Magpieflight stepped quietly out of the bushes so that she could see him better.

"Who here thinks _panicking_ is going to do us any good?" Stoneblaze continued in a quiet voice. He was met with first a stunned silence, and then many answers in the negative.

"Who here thinks that _StarClan_ would take away seven perfectly innocent cats without a _very _good reason? And who thinks that StarClan would do those cats any harm?" Stoneblaze's questions were met with very promising answers. A few even cried 'Hear, hear!'.

"So, tell me, _why_ are you running about like scared rabbits?" this was met with considerably less enthusiasm, and many cats cast him angry looks at the insinuation that they were 'scared rabbits'.

"The young fellow knows what he's talking about!" a cat whom Magpieflight identified as Harepelt, Brightstar's mate, said amiably. Several cats nodded their heads in agreement, although many more remained silent.

"Now, I think that we should discuss _what_ to do about the disappearances. _Not_ run around like rabid dogs." Magpieflight heard several chuckles at the new description of how they were running around. Stoneblaze's idea was met with many nods and murmurs of appreciation. The tense atmosphere had faded away until it was almost nonexistant. Now it was replaced with an atmosphere of determination and enthusiasm for what Stoneblaze proposed to do. How quickly a few words could change everything, Magpieflight marveled.

"Thank you, Stoneblaze. We will take over from here," Brightstar leaped lightly onto the tree, followed by the other three leaders. She dismissed Stoneblaze with a flick of her tail, and the tom obediently leaped down to join the cats on the ground.

"That was excellent! Maybe a bit tactless in the descriptions... but otherwise, very good." Magpieflight laughed quietly when Stoneblaze wandered over to her. He was looking very self-satisfied, she noted.

"I'm not sure Shadestar was entirely happy with me taking control of the situation, though," Stoneblaze's eyes sparkled with mischief. He was completely happy now that the cats were doing what he thought best, and he settled down next to Magpieflight as the leaders began to discuss what to do.

"Nor was Freestar." Magpieflight informed him, looking rather anxiously at the tom mentioned.

"Never mind that. All in all, I think it has been a most wonderful and memorable Gathering." Stoneblaze said as soberly as he could. She could see he was itching to join in the discussion, but, unfortunately, he did not have the privilege of being a leader, nor a deputy, nor a medecine cat. He wasn't even a senior warrior or elder.

"Don't say that yet," Magpieflight said warningly. Yet she, too, felt that, now that the leaders were on the right path, things would turn out just fine.

Whether the two young warriors were right will remain to be seen, however.

**I dunno how good that chapter is. I liked writing it, but then I like writing almost all my chapters. Please tell me what you think of it, and, if you have any criticism ( _helpful_ criticism ), feel free to criticise. **

**Did anybody notice how I tried to imitate Louisa May Alcott when I said 'And it is doubtful that she would have been able to suppress the two feelings, had not a familiar face appeared right in front of her at that moment'? Yes? No? Why? Well... I've been rereading a lot of my favourite classics, and Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women' & 'Good Wives' are two of them. So I just felt like inserting that sentence in the chapter. The 'It is doubtful' and 'Had not' are two of the things that Louisa May Alcott is fond of saying in her books, I've noticed.**

**Anyway, R&R!**


	19. Chapter 18: Motivation

**Thank you to Majoram and The Tester for reviewing!**

**OMG! OMG! OMG! _Eighteenth_ chapter! Double OMG! Forgive me if I may seem overexcited, but I never _dreamed_ that I would be able to get this far. Okay. Correction. I _dreamed_ I'd be able to get this far, but I never really _believed_ I would. Ah. =happy sigh=. I think Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' might be appropriate for what I am feeling now. I'm singing it. In my mind, I mean. If I sang it aloud, then my family would think me odd. Or... maybe not. I sing aloud too much for them to notice any difference in my behaviour if I do it now. Rather, they'd think it odd if I _didn't_ sing aloud. So... I'm singing now! Everyone put on their earphones, earmuffs, earplugs, whatever you use to block out sound. Why? It is said that my voice isn't exactly the most _gifted_ voice in the world.**

**Now, looking over the two chapters from Magpieflight's POV ( point of view ) I realised that they were a bit too hasty. I need to give my characters more personality, as well. I can actually give you a top ten things that I need to do before I can consider myself anywhere _near_ the standard of some of the other writers on FanFiction. But, practice makes perfect.**

**So, let us get on with this chapter. As a little note, this was partly inspired by Cyri's Alter Ego when she remarked in a review that she loved Claw. I liked him, too, and thought that, as she _also_ liked him, why not give him a larger part in the story? The fellow deserves it. So... thanks to CAE for commenting on your affections for the tom.**

Motivation

_Thump_. Cherrypaw landed heavily on her side, gasping for breath. This was the fifth time today that she had landed heavily, and the third time that she had felt like her lungs were being squeezed by some unknown force. Training _here_ was much worse than when she had trained with Tigerstripe.

"You won't survive a day here if you always do _that_," came the cheerful reply to her grunts of pain.

Cherrypaw raised her head to look at the tom reproachfully. Then she managed to croak, "Just because _you_ happen to be a natural fighter, hunter, patroller, and goodness knows what else..."

"You forgot that I am also exceptionally observant, a very loyal member of the Others, have an excellent memory, and am a very good teacher." Claw replied, although without a trace of smugness. He only looked amused at how unfit she was. Unfit in the Place of the Exiled standards, that was. In ThunderClan standards she was perfectly average.

After the first week or so, Brownpaw had decided that they needed more training. All seven of them. Seeing that most of them were also lazy ( any cat who lounged around for more than half an hour was 'lazy' in Brownpaw's opinion ), she decided to give seven of the Others the duty of teaching them how to fight _properly_, as well as making sure they didn't spend more than fifteen minutes in the camp with nothing to do. Rain, a grey and white she-cat who had a very serious personality, was appointed 'mentor' to Silverpaw. Bone, an odd white tom with eyes that were so pale a blue as to seem almost white, was 'mentor' to Branchclaw. Oak, a stern brown tom with immense black patches on his coat, was charged with the duty of making sure Gingerpaw was kept busy. Shadow, a tom that had apparently only been recently accepted into the Others, was 'mentor' to Sunstream. Troutpaw was to be mentored by a tortoiseshell she-cat called Spirit, who, from what Cherrypaw had seen, was a reasonably nice cat, who disliked jokes. Brownpaw herself had chosen to mentor Lizardpaw. This decision had surprised everyone, especially Thorn, who had looked at both Lizardpaw and Brownpaw suspiciously.

As for Cherrypaw... well... she considered herself extremely lucky to be mentored by Claw, who was, as far as she could see, an unusually friendly cat in even the four Clans' standards. She had noticed that most of her companions had had a hard time with their appointed mentors, especially Silverpaw and Troutpaw, who both enjoyed joking around. As their mentors would have none of it, the two had resigned themselves to grumbling about it when out of earshot of the Others. This had become quite tiresome for the other five cats, who repeatedly told the two to 'be quiet', or, on one especially trying day, 'go on one of the killing patrols'. This last reprimand had been spoken by Lizardpaw, and he had been met with astonished stares by all five cats. Cherrypaw herself had said nothing, and tried her best to go to sleep whilst the others broke out into angry mutterings at the way Lizardpaw had spoken the words. Not to mention the words that he had spoken.

Nevertheless, Cherrypaw was in a much better mood than she had been before she had been 'apprenticed' to Claw. Life wasn't as hard as it had once seemed, and she had realised what an utter mouse brain she had been to complain of _her_ life. Many cats suffered worse, she had told herself. And, although she felt rather distanced from her companions, she was finding it an interesting and absorbing task to learn about the life of cats in this dark place.

So, instead of muttering something rude, like she would undoubtedly have done a week previously, Cherrypaw simply heaved herself up, and charged at Claw. This was a rather tactless move, as Claw simply stepped aside, laughing uproariously at her clumsiness.

"Oh my! If I thought training a new cat would be _this_ much fun, I would have offered to take on all seven of you!" Claw was laughing so hard that Cherrypaw thought he might collapse if he didn't pull himself together. How, in the name of StarClan, a cat like this ended up in a place like this was beyond Cherrypaw. Who could really be cheerful when you were surrounded by serious and gloomy cats who were forever worried about treachery and murder? Well, the answer was standing right in front of her. Or, more correctly, right behind her, as she had landed in the bushes.

"It can't be _that_ funny!" Cherrypaw protested, although her words were hard to make out, thanks to a mouthful of dirt and old leaves.

"No. You're right. I should be more sympathetic." Claw took on a sober look, and shook his head with obvious pity as Cherrypaw stumbled out of the bushes, spitting out the dirt and leaves.

"Surely Brownpaw doesn't accept you making jokes and laughing all the time?" Cherrypaw asked him disbelievingly.

"No! Of course not! Brownpaw is the most humourless cat I've ever known. Unless you count Thorn."

"Why are you so cheerful? Were your parents like this?" Cherrypaw dodged a well-aimed blow at her head. She knew that Claw had only tried to knock her off balance because she would have to be prepared for surprise attacks, or so he believed.

"No. Of course not! They wouldn't be here if they were. I'm like this because I believe that there's no good in sulking in corners, and scaring poor cats out of their skins because you just happen to end up in a place like this. Plus, it does me good to see the bright side of things when everything in my world seems decidedly dark. I'd rather make other cats laugh than tremble in fear," was the very serious reply that Cherrypaw's question received. She hadn't realised that he was cheerful for that reason. And then she felt ashamed of how she had moped around for as long as she had. Even more ashamed than she had previously felt.

"Now. Your training is _very_ important. If you don't learn how to fight properly, you won't survive one day out here." Claw leaped at her, knocking her to the ground again.

Cherrypaw instinctively rolled back onto her feet, and launched herself at the tom, angry that he had attacked her when she had least expected it. It didn't matter to her that that was the very reason he had done it. To her utter delight, she managed to catch _him_ unawares, and she looked at him triumphantly as he lay on the ground.

"Better, but you need to concentrate. You can't stand there basking in your victory. It's perfectly clear that I'm still able to move, and therefore could easily still attack you." Claw scolded her as he stood up. Then he flipped her onto her back with a move she had never seen before. It was like he had darted forward, dodged her blow at his head, darted back, and then she found herself on her back yet again. Maybe she had missed something.

"What did you do?" Cherrypaw demanded as she righted herself. Silverpaw would have a fit if she saw the state of Cherrypaw's coat. Dusty, rather torn in places, and very untidy. It wasn't Claw's fault that her coat was torn. It was the fault of the various things she had landed in when her charging tactic had failed.

"It's just an improvisation on the usual move. All you do is speed it up, and confuse your opponent by darting around them. Once they're dazed enough, you can easily flick them over. Quite simple, really."

"Show me again!" Cherrypaw said in a commanding voice, which only made Claw chuckle.

He then started to do a complex manoeuvre, slowly getting faster and faster. Cherrypaw tried to bat at his head, but she missed by a whisker-length. Then she aimed a blow at his flank, but she missed again. The problem was that she just wasn't quick enough. Then, a second too late, she saw his paw dart out and hit her. He barreled into her as soon as she took her eyes off him, knocking her over.

"That wasn't the same move!" Cherrypaw protested as she struggled to get up again.

"Yes it was. I just improvised. That's what you have to do in battle. What I've been taught to do, that is. Your opponent will expect all the usual moves, so you have to try and improvise on the normal moves. Come on! You try."

Cherrypaw's mind ran over the possible moves that she could alter or improvise, and settled on the move that was used to bring down cats bigger than you. Tensing, she leaped neatly over him once, and then she whipped around and leaped at him again, this time with her paws outstretched. Instead of pushing him over, like he expected her to do, she somehow managed to slide under him, and used her back legs to push him over. Afterwards, she never understood how a cat with as little skill as herself had managed to complete this manoeuvre, but she had.

"Good!" Claw said approvingly. "Much better, but you might want to make your intentions less obvious next time."

"You were surprised! I caught you _unawares_!" Cherrypaw said defensively.

"Yes, that's true. But the first time you leaped, I could see that you weren't going to attack me then. Your eyes weren't looking at me, they were looking at the ground _behind_ me." Claw informed her, causing Cherrypaw to growl in frustration.

"I just did an amazingly difficult and complex move, and all you can say is I could've done better!" Cherrypaw said in exasperation.

"You could have," was all Claw said as he sat down and began to examine his fur for any signs of blood. She didn't know what he expected to find. A deep gash? Some sort of wound that would require him to report immediately back to the camp?

There was a faint sound of pawsteps behind Claw, and he froze for a split second. Then he leaped to his feet, and his usually friendly face became a cold and decidedly unfriendly one. The change was astonishing, and Cherrypaw felt almost frightened of him. He no longer look like the kind of cat who would make jokes and was always cheerful. He looked more like the kind of cat who really and truly belonged in this rather dismal place.

"Claw? How is the training going?" Brownpaw stepped out of the shadows, looking at Cherrypaw in a calculating way that made the red she-cat squirm uncomfortably.

"Reasonably well. She's improved, that much is obvious. But she still needs to stop hesitating before she strikes. Otherwise she'll find that she won't get a second chance to attack her opponent." Claw's voice was cold and matter-of-fact.

"Hmm. I'll have to make sure she is a fit opponent for the enemy we will be facing. Lizardpaw is getting to be an excellent fighter, although I can't say the same for the rest of them," Brownpaw said this in a voice that was full of contempt.

"What enemy?" Cherrypaw couldn't help asking. Why hadn't she been told? Lizardpaw had hinted that he knew something she didn't, but only now did she realise what he had known. And she was angry at them both. Why did they have to treat her like she wasn't as important as either of them? _Maybe because you _aren't_ as important as either of them,_ an unhappy little voice told her. She immediately shoved the thought away. No. She had spent enough time feeling sorry for herself.

"Light." was the simple reply, but it made Claw's jaws drop.

"Not _him_? But he's been dead for years, hasn't he? I thought he was killed by his own followers!" Claw exclaimed, all traces of coldness gone.

"Apparently not. He has somehow found out how I managed to see ThunderClan... and is using this knowledge to finish what I started. He is still killing off the cats," Brownpaw's voice dropped so low on the last sentence that Cherrypaw had to strain her ears to hear it.

Her heart began to pound as she realised what Brownpaw meant. So _Brownpaw_ was responsible for the mysterious illness that had come out of nowhere and infected ThunderClan's cats. _Brownpaw_ was responsible for the death of Brightshine, Sunpelt, Thornstar, and Rosefur. At least, that's what it sounded like.

"So you killed my mother?" Cherrypaw snarled, rage burning in her like a forest fire. How dare this horrible little cat take away the only family she had known? Wasn't it bad enough that her sister and father had died? Gingerpaw didn't count, as she had only known her for a few moons.

"Yes. Have you got a problem with that?" Brownpaw asked coldly. "She needed to die so that I could get the prophecy into that thick head of yours. So did Thornstar."

"_You_ made up the prophecy, didn't you?" Cherrypaw growled angrily. But, even as she said the words, it didn't make sense. Surely Brownpaw would have made up a more threatening prophecy than _that_?

"Correct. But StarClan insisted on editing it. They think they can do whatever they want without consequence! Just because they've got starry coats and they're already _dead_ doesn't mean that they can, though! I'll make sure of that!" Brownpaw's voice was chilling in its anger. It wasn't like Cherrypaw's hot, out-of-control rage. It was a cold, icy anger that chilled Cherrypaw to the bone.

Cherrypaw stayed silent. She wasn't stupid enough to contradict Brownpaw's words. Sure, she might not be the most intelligent cat in the entire world, but she was definitely smart enough to realise that Brownpaw's anger wasn't one which would allow any cat to object. She would surely eliminate those who did. And Cherrypaw didn't want to end up on the forest floor with lifeless eyes because of a careless word or two.

"Now, Claw, I want Cherrypaw to be ready within a half moon, at the most." Brownpaw ordered, her eyes daring him to object.

Claw immediately objected, for the pure fun of it, Cherrypaw thought. "She can't be ready so soon! She's not _that_ good. I doubt she was considered any better in whatever place she came from. Give her a moon, and we'll see how good she is then. She lacks the creativity and motivation for fighting."

"Lack the motivation? Oh... we can fix that," Brownpaw said cruelly. "Let's just say only you and Lizardpaw are needed here. So, if you can't make yourself fight properly, then those beloved five that aren't included in the prophecy will join StarClan. I will see to it myself."

Cherrypaw had already decided that Brownpaw was cruel. But... not _this_ cruel? She didn't doubt for a moment that Brownpaw meant what she said. Brownpaw wasn't too fond of Cherrypaw herself, so it was probably on the prophecy saving her own skin. The other five didn't have any prophecy to do the same to them. Cherrypaw would have to fight properly, or her companions would die. Put it that way, and Cherrypaw felt enormously motivated. Not for the right reasons, but she found that she _was_ willing to fight for those cats.

"If that isn't motivation enough... you've also got your whole Clan depending on you. We have to defeat Light. If you can't get off your lazy butt and fight, then it's your loss, not mine." Brownpaw added as an afterthought. Then the forest swallowed up the brown she-cat as Brownpaw padded off.

"Well? Do you still want to laze around all day?" Claw asked her seriously, although his eyes were dancing happily. He loved a good challenge, Cherrypaw knew that much, and training her would be challenge enough for the tom.

"No. Okay, so what move do you want me to learn next?"

**I hope Cherrypaw wasn't so much of an idiot here. I like her myself, because she's pretty much a lost soul like me. But... it's up to the reviewers and readers who they like and who they don't like! **

**Oh, and _no_ I didn't name two of the others 'Spirit' & 'Rain' on purpose. **

**Please R&R!**


	20. Chapter 19: Questions, Answers & Tests

**Chapter 19... not much to say... except... um... nothing. Enjoy as much as possible. **

Questions, Answers & Tests

"What does this 'Light' cat look like?" Lizardpaw persisted. It was about the fifth time he had asked that day, and Brownpaw was still refusing to answer. It was very obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, but that didn't bother Lizardpaw.

Cherrypaw had asked the question twice herself, and had been met with a chilling glare the first time, and a threatening 'Do you value the lives of your friends or not?' the second time. Naturally, that had shut her up. It hadn't shut Lizardpaw up, though. He wasn't afraid of Brownpaw. Not in the slightest. His reasoning was that she couldn't do anything to harm him, or his friends, because she knew that he would refuse to fight for her then. Cherrypaw rather thought that the only reason he was still standing was because he was Brownpaw's 'favourite' cat out of the seven. If Brownpaw had favourites, that is.

"Fine!" Brownpaw whirled around to face him, her eyes burning with icy rage at him purposely provoking her. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," both Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw chorused, although it has to be said that Cherrypaw's voice sounded rather uncertain.

"He was a cat who was born moons ago. Long before even your precious ThunderClan elders could open their eyes. In fact, it's doubtful that your elders' _grand_parents were even born when he came into being! He was the reason the Place of the Exiled was created. A descendent of Scourge and Tigerstar... he inherited their cruelness, and was taught by Tigerstar himself. From the Dark Forest, that is. 'Light' gained special powers... goodness knows how or why, but he did. He was born in ShadowClan, and eventually became leader. Yes! _Leader_ of ShadowClan! Have you heard of him? Lightstar the magnificent, the courageous, the loyal, the all-powerful, the intelligent, the cunning, the descendent of two of the most powerful villains of their time!" Brownpaw's words came out in a rush, and she actually looked... _excited_. Not in a kit-like way, but in the way one enemy would try to found out facts about another, and discover amazing things beyond belief. In the way a cat who has found a very pleasing challenge would look.

"No-o... I haven't...," Cherrypaw replied cautiously, not sure whether that was the right answer or not.

"Of course you haven't!" Brownpaw snorted derisively. "Lightstar was plotting to take over all the Clans. Tigerstar had told him that that would be his crowning glory. Oh yes, Lightstar was certainly power-hungry. But he was also much more. If it weren't for young apprentice called Robinpaw, who was from ThunderClan, he would have succeeded. But Robinpaw was clever... she had many friends in all four Clans. StarClan was very fond of her as well. So she asked them for a favour. She asked them to create a place where any cat that was like Lightstar, Tigerstar, Darkstripe, and Scourge would be able to go. A place that was like the Dark Forest, except they were still alive when sent there. She asked them to make sure that such cats would never be able to escape from this place. And StarClan agreed. But, to make sure that such a thing could happen, they told her that she would have to somehow sneak something into Lightstar's food, so that he could be taken there without a struggle."

"Robinpaw? _That_ name sounds familiar...," Cherrypaw mused thoughtfully. She had heard that name before... or at least she had heard a cat called 'Robin' something or other in the ThunderClan elders' tales.

"It should be. Her warrior name was Robinwing, and she was your ancestor. Mother of Redrose, who was mother of Rosefur," Brownpaw informed Cherrypaw stiffly.

"How do you know all this?" Cherrypaw queried in utter disbelief. How could Brownpaw of all cats know Cherrypaw's family tree?

"Doesn't matter. What did Robinpaw put in Lightstar's food?" Lizardpaw talked over the top of Cherrypaw, much to her annoyance. There were so many things about Brownpaw that Cherrypaw wanted to know, and she never got a proper chance to ask them. If she did, then another cat would always interrupt her, or Brownpaw would simply ignore the question.

"She asked the ThunderClan medicine cat for poppy seeds, and a lot of them. She told the medicine cat that one of the elders was having trouble sleeping, and that she herself needed them. Robinpaw said that she had been having trouble sleeping at night, and the medicine cat agreed that it would be okay to take one or two poppy seeds. But not all of them. There were seven poppy seeds in all."

"Yes?" Lizardpaw prompted, eager to hear more of the story. Cherrypaw felt rather confused. There were so many stories going around of late. Thornstar's story. Brownpaw's story. Brownfur's story. Budrose's story. And now there was Lightstar and Robinpaw's story.

"Robinpaw asked a ShadowClan apprentice to sneak them into Lightstar's food. The ShadowClan apprentice hated Lightstar, and agreed almost immediately, or so I've been told. The plan worked, and Lightstar fell into a heavy sleep. Whilst he slept, StarClan moved him to the Place of the Exiled. Don't ask me how they did. StarClan is StarClan," Brownpaw continued, and then stopped. The story seemed to have come to an end, and Cherrypaw let out a long breath in a mixture of relief and disappointment.

"You said that he had been disposed of quite a long time ago?" Cherrypaw remembered suddenly what Brownpaw had told Claw, and felt disturbed.

"How stupid can you get? He _was_ disposed of, but he was a leader, remember? Of course, StarClan made it so that the next ShadowClan leader could have nine lives, even though Lightstar hadn't died. But they didn't take away his lives. He still had seven when he came to the Place of the Exiled. Now he has six," Brownpaw regarded Cherrypaw disparagingly.

"Oh," Cherrypaw shuddered at the thought of having to fight an enemy with six lives. Why, it sounded almost impossible! Unless she performed a trick like Scourge did, and inflicted a wound so deep that Light's six lives would all be gone at once. She might have had the motivation to do such a thing, but she certainly lacked the skill to do it.

"Yes, _oh_," Brownpaw said mockingly, and then was serious. "Lizardpaw! I want you to take out a patrol to make sure no cats have invaded my territory since the last patrol. Take Shadow with you, he needs to have that nervous streak shaken out of him. I won't tolerate a nervous follower. As for you... Claw says that your training is going well. He says there has been a big improvement in the last few days. I suppose you're motivated now?"

"Yes, Brownpaw."

"How about creativity? Do you have more of that?"

"I hope so."

"No 'I hope so'. I want a 'yes' or 'no'. Preferably a 'yes'."

"Yes, Brownpaw. It's much better than it used to be. Although not thanks to _you_," Cherrypaw spat.

"Watch your tongue!" Brownpaw hissed at the red she-cat dangerously. "You're only still alive because of that wretched prophecy. And once we've fulfilled that... well... you may find that you'll be in StarClan sooner than you'd hoped. Now... how's your agility?"

"Good. Not exceptional, but Claw said it's passable," Cherrypaw resigned herself to answering Brownpaw's questions with patience and control. It wouldn't help matters, or her friends, to lose her temper with Brownpaw more than once a day. Although it was tempting.

"Passable! _Passable_? Claw!" Brownpaw's call echoed around the camp, and all the cats in it froze as if leaf-bare had suddenly come, or as if Light himself had appeared in front of them.

"Yes?" Claw padded calmly towards them, purring happily. He judged Brownpaw's mood, and seemed to consider what was best to say next.

"How would you rate your _apprentice_ in fighting?" Brownpaw emphasised the word 'apprentice' in a voice full of venom.

"Well... she's certainly better than Silverpaw and Sunstream. And Gingerpaw, although it's close. Branchclaw's just a bit better than her, and Troutpaw's about the same. Face it, Brownpaw, she's not a natural fighter. But, with time, she could become a good one," was Claw's careful answer.

"Time! We don't have much of that! Very well then, but if she's not better than at least Troutpaw by the end of this moon, I'll switch mentors. I'll make Tiger teach her," Brownpaw's voice held a thinly veiled threat, but Cherrypaw didn't feel frightened of Brownpaw any more. She had bigger things on her mind than whether a brown she-cat, who, by StarClan, was _smaller_ than her, wanted to punish her or not. Technically, Brownpaw couldn't harm Cherrypaw herself.

"When will you confront Light?" Claw's voice was low, as if he feared another cat might eavesdrop on them.

"Thorn wants to assess all seven of them by the end of the moon. If at least three of them pass, then we're ready. If not, we'll wait another half moon," Brownpaw was clearly impatient, and annoyed at the slowness of the seven companions. Even Lizardpaw wasn't learning as fast as Brownpaw would've liked.

"But that's only in a three days!" Claw exclaimed in astonishment. "She's never going to be as good as you want her to in such a short time!"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Cherrypaw said sarcastically.

"I don't care, Claw. All I want is for you to try your _hardest_ to make her ready. If she's not, then it's her own fault. And yours. And you may just find the death penalty is the punishment for not training a cat well enough," Brownpaw said coldly, and marched off.

* * *

"Terrible! Do you call _that_ a well trained fighter's move? Out! You're hopeless!" Thorn snarled at Silverpaw, who flinched back in shock, and scurried away to where the spectators stood, or, in some cases, sat.

It was D-Day. Decision Day, in the companions' cases. This was when they'd find out how well they measured up to Thorn, and when they'd find out whether they were good enough to fight in the battle against Light. Silverpaw had been first up, and had shown some appalling moves. It was obvious the silver she-cat hadn't managed to take in all the training as well as some of the others. Cherrypaw was, thankfully, last. After her, Sunstream would be tested.

"Rain! Do you call _that_ a warrior move?" Thorn questioned Silverpaw's appointed mentor.

"No, she was hopeless from day one. No matter what I did she wouldn't take an interest in it. Especially after the first week. She's been spoilt rotten by her Clan," Rain replied, looking at Silverpaw with disgust. Silverpaw cowered slightly, and shrank back into the crowd.

"So I've seen. Troutpaw!" Thorn called, and the ginger and white tom stepped forward, with a rather nervous look. He immediately wiped the nervous look off his face when he started battling Thorn, though, and was fantastic, Cherrypaw had to admit. She wished heartily that she'd be as good as he was when her turn came.

The mock-fight lasted about five minutes, ending when Thorn flipped Troutpaw over and placed a paw on the RiverClan tom's chest. In battle, this would have been one step away from killing him, so Thorn won.

"Quite good. Much better than I expected from a _Clan_ cat. Very well, you pass," Thorn said reluctantly, and stepped back to allow Troutpaw to go to the other side of the clearing, where Brownpaw and the seven mentors were waiting. Cherrypaw saw Spirit, Troutpaw's mentor, nod approvingly at the ginger and white tom.

"Branchclaw! You next!" This time the battle lasted barely a minute, and ended up with Thorn looking rather uncertain as to where to place Branchclaw. Finally, after a long pause, he shook his head, and told Branchclaw to 'Get lost'. Branchclaw padded slowly over to where Silverpaw was sitting. The silver she-cat brightened up considerably when she saw that Branchclaw was about to join her.

"Now... Gingerpaw!"

Gingerpaw, after three or four minutes of tussling with Thorn, was allowed to get by. Then it was Lizardpaw's turn. The tom stepped forward with the air of a cat who possessed not only self-confidence, but also skill. The battle lasted fifteen minutes this time, with Thorn eventually managing to defeat Lizardpaw, although only just. There had been one point when Lizardpaw had seemed like he was going to win, but that moment had passed quickly.

"Cherrypaw!" All eyes turned to her, and she felt suddenly frightened, and felt like running away. But her pride won out, and she padded forward. To the eyes of the watching cats, she didn't seem to be at all afraid. Inside though, her stomach was churning and she felt as unsure of herself as she had been on the day she had first realised that _she_ was the 'bud' in the prophecy. The one who everyone was relying on. Or, nearly everyone.

Thorn leaped at her, and Cherrypaw's fear fled. Battle was battle. She dodged, and began to circle Thorn rapidly. Speed was the one thing she had to rely on. And she knew she would make full use of it. Every time the tom tried to bat at her, she ducked and began to circle him faster. She began to feel rather dizzy, and switched directions, so that she was now circling him in the opposite direction. Once, one of his blows hit her on the head, hard, and she winced and nearly lost her balance. Cherrypaw pulled herself together, though, and continued determinedly to circle him. Then she launched herself at him, managing to make him stumble. Realising that he was still able to hit out at her, she retreated quickly, and began circling Thorn again.

This pattern lasted for ages. Circle, attack, retreat. Circle, attack, retreat. Circle, attack, retreat. Several times Thorn had managed to pin her down, but Cherrypaw had somehow been able to wriggle away before the 'death blow'. The end was predictable, though. Cherrypaw miscalculated one of her attack moves, and found Thorn's paw at her throat. Defeat.

"Good. You can't always rely on speed, though. Nevertheless, you pass," Thorn nodded stiffly, and Cherrypaw trotted off triumphantly in the direction of the cats who had 'passed' this test. She was immensely relieved to have passed. For many nights her nightmares had been her failing this test, and thus being the cause of Claw's death.

Sunstream failed the test, but nobody seemed to care much. The two cats from the prophecy had gotten past, and that was all that really mattered to most of the gathered cats.

Brownpaw nodded to the three cats who failed. "You three will stay in camp. I'll decide what to do with you later."

Then she turned to the four who had passed. "We will have a few extra rounds of fighting, and then we'll gather below the Dark Tree, which will be where the fight will take place. Unless Light decides to change it, that is. If so, I have another plan. He's not the only one who likes to make his enemies endure the Dark Forest. I do, too."

**Okay, either the next chapter or the chapter after it will be the 'Battle Chapter'! Hurrah! This is amazing! To have gotten this far and _still_ be updating it! Okay, okay, enough smugness.**

**R&R!**


	21. Chapter 20: The Battle

**Chapter 20! This is going to be the 'battle' chapter, unless Cherrypaw decides that she doesn't want to fight... Anyway, I've got to thank 'Warrior Cats Now' for the list of fighting techniques on their website. It's incredibly useful to someone like me. So... yeah, thanks.**

**And thanks also to Cyri's Alter Ego, World of Make Believe and The Tester for reviewing!**

**This is rather unoriginally called 'The Battle'... as I said before, my imagination fails me when I name chapters... Oh... and there's a rather nasty surprise at the end. I had to do it. Cherrypaw wanted me to... in a twisted sort of way. I've been planning it since Chapter 13. So, please excuse the hasty and short chapter. I needed to get to the point... hehe...**

The Battle

"Tiger, Flame, Ice! You three go in the front line with Spirit and Lizardpaw. Good. Now, Claw, Cherrypaw, Thorn, Rain, and Oak... you five can go in the second line. Be prepared to merge with the first line when the battle starts, though. Troutpaw, Brownfur, Blaze, Bone and Rat. You five can go on the third line, but when the second line merges with the first line, remember that the third line will become the second line. The fourth line will also merge with the third line when Light arrives," Brownpaw commanded, none of the Others seemed to take note of how confusing her orders really were. Except Rat, maybe, who was a young apprentice-aged cat who had been incredibly eager to start battling.

"What about the rest of us?" Swift, a juvenile sandy yellow she-cat, piped up.

"I'm coming to that!" Brownpaw growled in annoyance, making Swift duck her head in embarrassment. The brown she-cat continued, "Now... Swift, Thunder, Tree, Lark, and Squirrel... go to the fourth line. NO! I said the _fourth_ line, not the third line. Of course the fourth line doesn't exist yet, Squirrel! You're going to make it exist, so get your lazy butt over there!"

Squirrel hurried over to stand behind the 'third line', looking a trifle ashamed of herself. Cherrypaw heard chuckles come from the first line and second line, and had to admit that it was rather amusing herself. Although... she wouldn't want to be in Squirrel's place for all the fresh-kill in the world.

"Okay. That should be enough. Swift! If the battle starts going wrong, I want you to go the Others' camp, and tell them to evacuate the kits and their mothers immediately. The rest can come here as reinforcements," Brownpaw ordered the yellow she-cat, who was not called Swift for nothing. Even though Cherrypaw suspected that she was actually named after the bird.

"Now... we'll wait. If Light does not turn up within ten minutes, we'll bring the battle to his home," Brownpaw continued in a remarkably calm voice. Cherrypaw wondered whether this was the first time Brownpaw had battled Light.

The seconds ticked by very slowly, and it seemed an age before a white tom appeared in front of Brownpaw, seemingly out of nowhere. Brownpaw stepped forward, and the two began to talk quietly. Well, quietly at _first_. Then their voices began to rise as they disagreed over something or other, and Brownpaw stepped back with a look of fury on her face.

The white tom gestured with his tail for his followers to come out of the shadows. To Cherrypaw's untrained eyes, there seemed to be hundreds of cats that stepped out of the bushes and behind the trees. In reality, there was probably only thirty, at the most. She shivered as she counted the cats that she would be fighting with. About thirty as well. This did not bode well. Cherrypaw had hoped that she would be on the side that outnumbered the other, but clearly it had been a foolish hope.

"Very well, Brownpaw, so be it," the white tom's voice was mocking. Cherrypaw noticed Brownpaw glaring at the tom like she wanted to sink her claws into him. In fact, that was probably what she wanted to do.

"Attack!" the white tom roared, and his followers surged forward. They didn't seem to be following any order, though, and Cherrypaw felt a tiny glimmer of satisfaction as the Others and the remaining companions merged with the lines they had been told to merge with. She didn't know how long they would be able to follow Brownpaw's 'plan', but she knew that she would try her utmost to do so.

"It's your choice, Light. Forward!" Brownpaw said, her voice quiet compared to the tom's. The followers of Brownpaw moved forward, although not in a rushed way. The two 'armies' then flowed into each other, not necessarily in an elegant way, though. Cherrypaw found herself facing a huge black tom, and immediately began her circling tactic.

The tom rushed forward and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, tossing her away into the now battling cats. Picking herself up, Cherrypaw charged at the tom, leaping on his back. She clawed at the tom's flank, and there was a very satisfying yowl of pain before the black tom rolled over onto his back.

_Foxdung! I forgot about that. What an idiot I am_, Cherrypaw thought in despair, and did her best to wriggle out from underneath the tom. It was difficult, but eventually she was standing on her own four paws again, and she leaped at the now lying tom. It puzzled her as to why he hadn't moved yet, but her brain refused to think about it as she launched herself at him. She raked her claws down his belly, and there was a sickening gush of blood as her claws created wounds. The tom gave a shudder and then the light faded from his eyes.

Cherrypaw didn't have time to think about what she had just done. She was already busy battling a ginger she-cat. Another belly rake subdued that opponent, and then Cherrypaw was thrown aside by a white tom. Her belly clenched as she realised who _this_ opponent was. Light. The fear that had left her suddenly found her again, and she felt like she was a kit again. Not in a good way, either.

"What do we have here? You don't smell like you belong in this place... has Brownpaw stooped to recruiting cats outside of the Place of the Exiled?" the tom said in a taunting voice, and he aimed a hard blow at her head, making Cherrypaw wince.

Then he tackled her, and Cherrypaw rolled over onto her belly. As soon as she'd done it, she knew that she had made a possibly fatal mistake. The tom hovered over her, looking extremely smug. Instinctively, Cherrypaw raked her claws across his belly, causing a yowl of pain and rage from the white tom. She rolled back onto her feet, and hastily leaped onto the tom's back, biting into his neck as hard as she could. The tom collapsed beneath her, and she jumped away quickly, afraid that he would still be alive. The tom's eyes were lifeless for a moment, and then he coughed up some blood.

As he struggled to his feet, and he looked at her with amusement. "Thought you could get rid of me that quickly, young one? Well, you thought _wrong_."

And with that parting speech, he leaped at Cherrypaw, flipping her over and biting her neck hard. The world around her grew dim, and the noises faded until she almost couldn't hear them at all. She tried in vain to hit out at the tom, but her limbs felt heavy. Too heavy. She tried to yell at him, throw curses at him, but her tongue felt heavy. Too heavy. She tried to see the cats around her, hoping that they would help her, but her eyes refused to see. If she could have seen the surrounding cats, she would have realised that all of them were too busy to take much notice of her.

The last words she heard was a shout from behind her. Her own name was called in a frantic voice. She wanted to see who was calling her, but it was already too late.

The world around her went black, and she knew no more.


	22. Chapter 21: Cinderkit's Plans

**Thank you to World of Make Believe ( reviewed 6 times =gasp= ), The Tester, Majoram, Cyri's Alter Ego, Milkshake22, Sorrel14, & Adurna Rider of Kveykva ( did I spell that right? That is one _complicated_ username :) ) for reviewing! **

**And, OMG ( sorry, I keep on doing this ) I got 60 reviews! =eyes boggle= how did that happen? One minute I had only one review ( well... that was quite a long time ago... ) and the next I have sixty! Maybe I can get 65? Anybody?**

**And, to answer the very popular question ( or, reasonably popular )... Cherrypaw _is_ dead. But, Adurna Rider of Kveykva, you're in luck. Or, rather, I'm in luck... I don't fancy being eaten. Cherrypaw _will_ be revived, and this chapter should hopefully explain why.**

**And, this is a hint... this chapter contains a _huge_ clue as to where the sequel of 'Thunder From Afar' will be going. If you don't spot this clue, I will be greatly disappointed. Kidding. **

**Okay, and, people, I need a warrior name for Troutpaw! I've got one for every single apprentice except him! Why oh why did I have to pick a name like _Trout_ for a suffix? So... if you have any ideas, send them in a message or review. No silly ones like Troutstumpytail ( haha... ). **

**Oh... and I was reading about Warriors on Wikipedia... and I came across these sentences. They absolutely cracked me up:**

"The fourth series is centered around two sisters, Dovepaw and Ivypaw, and which one of them is the third cat in the prophecy, as well as around Lionblaze and Jayfeather, the other two cats in the prophecy. In _Bluestar's Prophecy_, it is revealed that both of the kits' grandmothers are Frostfur and Brindleface, who in the book are said to be sisters (Frostfur – Brightheart – Whitewing; Brindleface – Ferncloud – Birchfall). This either means that the book is incorrect or Dovepaw and Ivypaw's mother and father are related. This is not a big deal, as most of the Clan cats are related anyways.**"**

**Note the 'this is not a big deal, as most of the Clan cats are related anyways' part. All of the above quoted script belongs to whoever wrote it. I thank them for making me laugh, although that may not have been their intention... and, as to the penultimate sentence... I seriously hope that the book is incorrect. It would be creepy to say the least. **

Cinderkit's Plans

"No, no, no!" Cinderkit wailed loudly as she watched her sister fall. "You can't die on me yet! I have _plans_ for you!"

"Cinderkit, you know that you aren't meant to have plans for any cat. Only yourself," Rosefur reprimanded her eldest daughter, but there were tears in her eyes. Cherrypaw had been the one who was closest to Rosefur, although that could be partially attributed to the fact that Cherrypaw had spent more time with Rosefur than Cinderkit had.

"I know... but she was going to have kits! She was going to have five kits, and two were going to be named after me!" Cinderkit said stubbornly. "Now _no_ kits are going to be named after me. And _Gingerpaw_ is the only living descendent of Robinwing! And I _hate_ Gingerpaw."

"Cinderkit! You don't even know her, how can you say that you 'hate' her?" Rosefur asked in mock horror. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't too fond of Gingerpaw either. But she would rather have died all over again than admit that to any cat. Rosefur was a strong believer in 'blood is thicker than water'.

"Can we revive her?" Cinderkit said excitedly after a long silence. She turned hopeful green eyes on her mother. "After all... the Higher Clan says that one of her kits has a great future! Not to mention what Cherrypaw herself will do."

"Cinderkit! If you're so serious about this, then you can ask the Higher Clan yourself," Rosefur frowned disapprovingly at her daughter. She didn't believe much in resurrection, either.

"ROBINWING! I need you! Help!" Cinderkit yowled at the top of her voice, causing Rosefur to wince at the sheer pitch of her daughter's voice.

"ROBINW-... oh... there you are!" Cinderkit was cut short by a slender reddish brown she-cat materialising in front of her. The she-cat's eyes were amused as she studied her great-granddaughter carefully.

"Ah... Cinderkit. Is there anything you want?" Robinwing asked, purring.

"Well... a mouse would be nice...," Cinderkit mused thoughtfully, forgetting the real reason for her calling Robinwing.

"Cinderkit!" Rosefur glared at her daughter, who ducked her head sheepishly.

"Oh... yeah... sorry. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to revive my little sister. I have great plans for her, plus she needs to name one of her kits after me. That's not going to happen if she's dead... so I'd be very pleased if you revived her," Cinderkit said primly, hoping that Robinwing would understand her.

"Little one, reviving a dead cat is no little matter. There are consequences for everything you do," Robinwing informed Cinderkit seriously, although her amber eyes were sparkling.

"I know, I know. But _you_ were the one who said that Cherrypaw would be important in the future! And _you_ were the one who said that one of her kits would have a great destiny! And _you_ were the one who promised me a mouse!" Cinderkit added the last sentence as an afterthought, as she'd run out of things to accuse the reddish brown she-cat of.

"Little one, you pay too much attention to your stomach. Can you not be like my sister Dovekit? She has managed to enter the Higher Clan," Robinwing lectured Cinderkit sternly.

"I don't care about what's-her-name! My stomach _needs_ food. I don't care that I'm a StarClan cat. I can still eat food, right?" Cinderkit's every wandering mind had, once again, completely forgotten her sole reason for calling Robinwing. Or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that it was one of her reasons.

"I'll leave you two to discuss what you may," Rosefur purred, and padded off.

"Coward!" Cinderkit called after her mother, fuming indignantly at the implied insult.

"Now... we must return to the question at paw. Should I, or should I not, revive your sister?" Robinwing reminded the indignant Cinderkit.

"Oh... oh... yeah! Of course you should revive her! I've already picked out who she should have kits with, so it would be a shame if he got together with someone else," Cinderkit exclaimed enthusiastically, her eyes shining with delight.

"Cinderkit, you must realise that you can, in no way, influence the lives of the cats that have all four paws on solid ground," Robinwing told Cinderkit, laughing despite herself.

"Well... Cherrypaw's a bit mental... so it shouldn't be a problem," Cinderkit said, misunderstanding what Robinwing had told her. Then an idea occurred to her already overworked brain. "Oh! Can I give her a new personality trait? Like... like... an amazing sense of fun! Or... or... a hot temper! Please, please, _please_?"

"I meant that we shouldn't influence cats who are already alive, young one," Robinwing sighed in uncharacteristic exasperation. Meeting with her great-granddaughter always left her exasperated.

"Stop calling me that! I'm _not_ young! I'm older than Cherrypaw, and you don't refer to _her_ as young! I always knew that she was more popular than me," Cinderkit wailed melodramatically, causing her ancestor to sigh with a touch of annoyance.

"Very well then! I will revive her, as I know that it can do no harm, in this case. But I don't want you to think that I will revive just any cat you like. I'm doing this because I know that StarClan will need her," Robinwing said seriously, and began to descend towards where her great-granddaughter was still lying, amidst the roars of the fighting cats. Cinderkit excitedly followed, and plunked herself down next to her lifeless sister.

"Say, how come her spirit hasn't come out to greet us yet? Doesn't she like me?" the thought saddened Cinderkit immensely. To be not liked by one's own sister! It was almost too terrible to think about.

"Don't be silly. I made sure that her spirit stayed in her body. Otherwise I could not revive her. Once the spirit has left the body, only those that are the highest ranking in the Higher Clan can revive a fallen cat. And, even then, failure must be expected." Robinwing bent down and touched her nose to Cherrypaw's forehead, whispering in a low and soothing voice. "Awaken, little one. It is not your destiny to join StarClan today."

Cinderkit repeated the words Robinwing had said, although, it has to be said, the tabby she-cat did it more for the fun of it. She especially took delight in emphasising the words 'little one'.

Cherrypaw's body twitched, and the cat who was standing next to her flinched in shock. Cinderkit examined the cat standing guard over Cherrypaw, and then growled angrily as she realised who it was.

"Not _you_!" she hissed at the ginger she-cat. "The tom I picked out to be Cherrypaw's mate was meant to be here! Grrr..."

"Let us leave her in peace, Cinderkit. We have done enough. Come, I will tell you about the time I first met Moorheart," Robinwing said enticingly, and Cinderkit hurried after her ancestor, not willing to miss what she called 'one of the best stories _ever_'.

As the two cats disappeared into the sky, Cherrypaw's eyes opened in shock.

**Okay, and... Cherrypaw is once again alive to annoy you all! Except for Adurna Rider of Kveykva ( I did that without looking at your username! )... If I understood you correctly, Cherrypaw is your favourite character?**

**Oh, and for those of you who don't know... Moorheart is Robinwing's mate. He's a WindClan cat. For more information, see my bio.**

**Okay... R&R!**


	23. Chapter 22: Revived?

**Thank you to World of Make Believe & Cyri's Alter Ego for reviewing! ( sheesh, you guys are _quick... _) .**

**Chapter 22 is up! Nothing much to say...**

Revived?

The first thing Cherrypaw saw when she opened her eyes was a pair of ginger paws. It took her a moment to realise that they didn't belong to an enemy, but Gingerpaw, her cousin. First there was a tremendous feeling of shock, followed shortly by alarm, which was in turn followed by confusion.

How could she still be alive? She had felt the death blow herself. She had seen the world go black, and had heard the noises around her fade. She had even acknowledged to herself that it was now her turn to go to StarClan. Yet here she was. Alive. The word had never tasted sweeter, although she still burned with curiosity as to how she was still living. But that could be answered later. There was a battle to fight.

"Cherrypaw? Cherrypaw! You're _alive_?" Gingerpaw exclaimed, astonishment written clearly on her face.

"Don't ask me why, I don't know myself." Cherrypaw grumbled as she unsteadily heaved herself to her feet. She checked the wound that had caused her death, and found that it was now only a faint scar. Odd. "What happened?"

"Um... I saw you fall. And I made that horrible cat lose another life. Brownpaw's fighting him now," Gingerpaw spat, her fur bristling with rage and hatred. "Don't just stand there! Fight!"

Cherrypaw watched dazedly as the ginger she-cat charged away, leaping energetically into the battling cats. Then she blinked, turning around and trying to locate a cat that she could fight. It didn't take long before she found one, and then she was fighting once again. It wasn't something that Cherrypaw relished doing, but she understood that lives depended on it.

She watched mercilessly as the brown she-cat that she had been fighting died. A tiny part of her recoiled in shock at how much she seemed to delight in killing the enemy. But a larger part urged her on, encouragingly pointing out all the different reasons that made it okay to fight. Two sides of her were warring with each other, much like she was warring with Light's followers. Fighting oneself, though, was very different from fighting another cat. It was almost... _frightening_.

Cherrypaw shoved aside her conscience. Now really _wasn't_ the best time to think about whether what she was doing was right. Right now, the best thing to do was fight. Fight. The word was far too familiar for her own liking. Whatever had happened to the peace-loving cat of yore? She had disappeared forever. No longer would Cherrypaw be as innocent as she once was, and she couldn't bring herself to regret it. She had been incredibly shallow and naive.

With that comforting thought in mind, she hurried forward and slashed at white cat's flank. The cat stank of the odd odour that all Light's followers had. A mixture of death and rotting prey was how Cherrypaw described it in her mind. The cat snarled in pain and outrage, and leaped at Cherrypaw furiously.

"Light is dead!" a cat yowled in horror and amazement. The tom that had, only seconds before, been fighting enthusiastically retreated in sudden terror. Cherrypaw watched silently as Light's followers swarmed away from her, fleeing into the dark shadows.

_Well... that was easy_, she thought in part relief, part disappointment. _I thought battles went on for hours._

_

* * *

_

Brownpaw glared at Light in disgust and hate. The tom would die at _her_ paws, and no others. He had made her life miserable in more ways than one. He had scared the life out of her when she was a kit, he had nearly killed her when she was a youngster, he had nearly killed her mother, he had nearly destroyed the Others, and he had nearly killed her only moments before. Oh yes. He deserved exactly what she was going to give him. Death.

_I hope you rot in the Dark Forest_, Brownpaw thought venomously as she leaped at the tom.

He immediately tried to dodge, but she was too quick for him. Landing on his back, she raked her claws down his back in fury, and then, as an afterthought, she sliced off his ear. It was surprisingly easy, and she felt a rush of pleasure as he yowled in pain.

Then he rolled over, and she felt the air being forcibly squeezed from her lungs. Before she knew what was happening, she felt an intense pain in her right ear. Resisting the urge to yowl in pain like he had done moments before, she realised that he was now staring down at her with hate. Drops of blood were spattered over his white coat, not all of it his own. His left ear was bleeding, and was merely a stump now. Light raised his paw and she saw his claws glint in the dim sunlight.

Quickly, Brownpaw rolled over and leaped back onto his back. This time, she clawed vigorously at his flanks. That would teach him to bite off half of _her_ ear. No cat messed with Brownpaw and got away with it. _No_ cat, not even if it happened to be a leader with quite a few lives to spare.

"Didn't Brownfur ever teach you that it is unwise to attack a cat who is bigger and better skilled than yourself?" the white tom said tauntingly as he rolled back onto his back. Brownpaw leaped off before she had the chance to be squashed again.

"No. I taught myself that it is unwise to let any cat who has harmed me in the past stay alive," Brownpaw retorted sharply as she dug her claws into his neck. Blood dripped from the gaping wound, and she felt his claws slash at her as he stumbled weakly and fell to the ground.

She saw him jerk as he lost yet another life. Then he rose again, staggering but still alive. _Fox dung! _That_ wound wasn't deep enough? What wound _is_ deep enough, then?_

Before he could get a chance to attack her, she launched herself at him again, snarling. She bit his neck, this time not letting go until she was sure that the wound would be deep enough to send him to where he belonged. The Dark Forest, she hoped. Or, if she was in luck, an even worse place.

The white tom's pelt was now splattered with blood. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought that his coat wasn't originally white, but a darker colour. Possibly a red colour. She watched cautiously as he staggered again, and fell down. Again.

This time, though, he jerked once, twice, three times. And then he was still. The life faded from his eyes, and she felt another rush of pleasure that made her feel briefly giddy. Had she killed him? Brownpaw prodded the tom, and, when he still didn't move, she leaned down to listen with her good ear. Not a breath. He really _was_ dead. Her lifelong enemy. Dead. It was almost unbelievable.

A cat nearby saw the lifeless body of Light, and the cat's eyes widened in shock. Before Brownpaw could blink, the cat was already raising the alarm.

"Light is dead!" the cat yowled loudly. Indeed, Brownpaw didn't think she had ever heard a cat yowl as loudly as that cat. Alarm, horror, and terror filled the cat's voice.

The yowl was echoed all around the clearing by the other followers of Light. If Brownpaw was not mistaken, a few of her own followers had also taken up the call for the fun of it. She watched in amazement as the followers of Light flowed away like a river.

And then the clearing was left with only the followers of Brownpaw, and the companions. She wondered who had died, and, spotting her second-in-command not far away, beckoned him over.

"Yes?" Thorn panted. There was a huge wound on his flank, and another on his neck.

"Count the dead and then report to me," Brownpaw ordered him quietly. As soon as the tom had left, she began to count the alive cats. Claw. Rain. Bone. Ice. Tiger. Gingerpaw. Lizardpaw. Cherrypaw... wait a minute. Brownpaw was certain that Cherrypaw had been dead. She herself had seen the red she-cat lying lifeless on the ground as she rushed by to tackle Light.

_Never mind. You were probably mistaken_, Brownpaw told herself, and she padded over to examine the cats who had fallen down. Her eyes skimmed over them, and then she shrugged, giving up. She would need a while to find out exactly how many of her followers had died.

For now, though, she felt an odd urge to just relax. There would be no more fights for quite a while, she suspected. Not when the rest of the cats in the Place of the Exiled discovered that the Others had beaten Light, who was the most feared cat in this place. Brownpaw came next, and, as always, she felt a little surge of pride as she remembered how far she had come.

**Stupid, trashy ending, I know. But I always have trouble ending chapters. Well... R&R! Yes, there will be a few more chapters after this... but not many. Maybe about four.**

**R&R!**


	24. Chapter 23: 'Why Does It Have To Be Me'

**Thank you to Majoram for reviewing!**

**Okay, so this is a really trashy chapter without much point in it. But I felt like writing about these two a bit more... this one is going to be about Magpieflight & Cinderkit.**

**I recall World of Make Believe saying that it would be interesting to see Stoneblaze in a bigger role. This is really quite funny... why? Because, when I introduced him, I intended him to have a big role. I realised I was a bit of a feminist with my characters. Here's a list of the POVs I've done...**

**Cherrypaw, Brownpaw, Rosefur/Budrose, Skyrock/Rockyleap, Magpieflight, Cinderkit... Then I've done the toms: Branchclaw, Breezepaw, Shadow. Not much compared to the she-cats, is it? I've been accused of being a feminist in real life, too. So... when I do a story about Cherrypaw's kits ( 90% sure I'll do one ), I'll probably do a tom. **

**Now... onto the chapter!  
**

'Why Does It Have To Be _Me_?'

Magpieflight glanced up at the moon, and then looked around the deserted, moonlit camp. Not a cat stirred. Perfect. She tried to remember who was guarding the camp tonight. Was it Rockheart? No... Thornfire? No... Ah... Cloudfur! It wouldn't be too hard to get past Cloudfur. She wasn't the most observant cat, in Magpieflight's mind. Cloudfur was the last cat in the Clan Magpieflight would've picked to guard ThunderClan at _night_, but Thrushstar was obviously unconcerned by Cloudfur's lack of observance. Magpieflight hoped her luck would hold.

She darted out of the camp cautiously, going by a route that most of the apprentices and younger cats used. Technically, if she went by this route, it didn't matter who was on guard. It was always nice to know, though. You could never be too cautious, Magpieflight's mother had often lectured her.

As soon as she was out of sight of the camp, she relaxed slightly. It was highly doubtful any ThunderClan cat would venture out as far as this during the night-time. Unless they were going to intentionally break the warrior code, like Magpieflight was pretty sure she was about to.

_Break the warrior code_. Four words she never thought would apply to her, the ultimate warrior code cat. Petal, Magpieflight's mother, had always told her children that the warrior code was the one thing in life you could rely on when all other things seemed to be failing you. Like _Petal_ was a great one to speak. Petal had been a kittypet until she was twelve moons old, then she had become a loner. Then, whilst pregnant with Pigeonfeather, she had joined ThunderClan. By this time, Petal had been twenty five moons old. She had lived all her life knowing nothing about the warrior code, and then she had almost fallen in love with it. Because of this, Magpieflight and her sisters had been told to rely on the warrior code. Yet here she was, breaking it intentionally. How her mother would scream in horror!

Why was she breaking it though, and how? Five simple words answered the first part of the question: I'm tired of being alone. As for the second one... only one word was needed to answer that: Stoneblaze. Yes. She was going to visit a WindClan warrior. But _why_ Stoneblaze? He had promised that he would tell her more rumours. And Magpieflight would've done almost anything to learn more about where her beloved was.

She sniffed the air. WindClan's airy scent filled her nostrils, and she snorted. It didn't smell half as appetising as ThunderClan's wonderful woody aroma. But it wasn't as bad as ShadowClan's stench of crowfood. Now _that_ was something to be thankful for. It would have seemed impolite to hold her breath whilst meeting a ShadowClan cat on its own territory. RiverClan was only partially better. Their scent was fishy, in more ways than one. Fishy and watery. Not a good combination. For the hundredth time, Magpieflight was thankful that she was born in the best Clan. ThunderClan.

But she wasn't half as biased towards ThunderClan as she once had been. ThunderClan had seemed so perfect when she was an apprentice, but now she was starting to see mistakes and holes in it that she hadn't dreamed of before. Sometimes she thought that Thrushstar wasn't as good a leader as Thornstar had been. Under Thornstar everything had seemed wonderful. Delightful. But under Thrushstar things had seemed to fall apart. Maybe it was just because Magpieflight was growing up, and realising that the world in general wasn't the perfect, innocent place it had once seemed.

"Magpieflight? Is that you?" a familiar voice asked quietly, causing Magpieflight to jump.

"Stoneblaze! Don't scare me like that! I've had one too many scares over the past moon," Magpieflight scolded as soon as she had recovered from the shock of hearing a voice other than the one inside her head.

"Sorry," Stoneblaze didn't sound at all sorry. "Now... what did you want to meet me here for?"

"You know perfectly well, so don't give me that I'm-so-innocent look," Magpieflight said tartly, irritation plain in her voice.

"Okay, okay. Now... rumours, is it? Didn't your mother tell you that they aren't good for your health? They poison your mind," Stoneblaze lectured, cocking his head to one side, which rather ruined the stern effect.

"Then your mind must be pretty dead by now," Magpieflight retorted acidly.

"Sorry... were you saying something?" Stoneblaze feigned ignorance, making his eyes cross. This resulted in him looking like a complete idiot, which, it has to be said, was probably his intention.

"Just get on with it! I'm in no mood for your games!" Magpieflight growled, annoyed.

"Always were one to state the obvious, weren't you?" Stoneblaze asked in mock amazement. At Magpieflight's snarl, he hastily added, "Okay, okay! Now... let me just ransack my poor, dead brains for a moment... ah... yes! New rumours have stated that the cats have complete their mission and are now returning. Or, at least, some of them will. The rumours say that maybe one or two will willingly stay behind, because they have made new friends there."

Magpieflight's heart leaped with delight, and then she sighed. What if Lizardpaw was among the ones who decided to stay? He couldn't! He wouldn't... would he? Yet another twinge of doubt stabbed at Magpieflight's already sore heart. No, she wouldn't think about that possibility. Lizardpaw still loved her, and she still loved him. End of story.

"Is there anything else?" Magpieflight asked eagerly, her eyes shining happily for the first time in days.

Stoneblaze purred contentedly at how happy Magpieflight looked, and continued his rumour report. "Well... and this is _not_ a rumour. I heard it from a contact of mine... you may find that Lizardpaw has changed in more ways than one. I thought you might want to be prepared. Oh, he still loves you, but just don't expect him to be the same cat he once was."

"Oh...," Magpieflight pondered that for a little while. Not the same cat he was? What kind of experience had he gone through?

"Now, I've told you a bit. Why don't you tell me how you're coping?" Stoneblaze settled down comfortably, and looked at Magpieflight with an attentive gleam in his eyes.

Laughing, Magpieflight sat down next to him and started to freely talk about how her days had been. It had always been like that with Stoneblaze, no matter how dull your experiences were, he was always happy to listen to them. He made you feel that you were important enough to listen to, and that was a great comfort to Magpieflight, who, in all honesty, didn't have as many friends in the Clan as her sisters did.

* * *

Cinderkit laughed delightedly at the two cats below her. "Oh, they get on _so_ well! I want them to have kits together. To the Dark Forest with Lizardpaw!"

"_Cinderkit_!" Pricklepaw, Rosefur's brother, said in annoyance. "How many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't make plans for other cats. That'll only get you hurt and disappointed."

"Don't be such a goody-goody! Spoilsport, spoilsport, spoilsport!" Cinderkit turned her attention to the grey tom briefly, and then forgot about him when she overheard Magpieflight complaining about how restricting the warrior code was.

"I totally agree with you, Magpieflight," Cinderkit said in full... agreement. "I think your kits would be beautiful if you had them with Stoneblaze. They'd be _dark_, for one. ThunderClan has got too many boring coloured cats. If your kits turned out black, it'd be great!

"Shut up, Cinderkit," Pricklepaw growled. "Why do you always do this?"

"Because StarClan is dead _boring_ if I don't stir things up a bit. It's lovely to see all the cats here run around worriedly because they think little old me will disturb the peace on the ground below. Why does it have to be _me_?" Cinderkit suddenly wailed in her usual dramatic way. "Silverpaw and I would've been _great_ friends if _I_ was still living. Think of the pranks we could pull! But no, StarClan obviously can't handle two cats like us in the same Clan, so they have to go and take away one."

"I'm sure Silverpaw and you would've caused too much fuss. StarClan didn't take you away, though. Nature did," Pricklepaw reasoned with his niece, not very successfully.

Cinderkit ignored him, and returned her attention to the two living cats. "Now... do you think they should have toms or she-cats? I think toms, because ThunderClan needs more toms. Say, do you think Magpieflight might name one of her kits after me?"

"I thought Cherrypaw was meant to do that. And, Cinderkit, they are _not_ going to get together, much as you wish they would. Lizardpaw will be Magpieflight's mate," Pricklepaw said firmly.

"Well... it'd be nice if Cherrypaw _and_ Magpieflight named a kit each after me. Maybe Silverpaw could, too. And Pigeonfeather... and Dapplepaw and Leafpaw... and Dovesky... and... and...," Cinderkit's eyes grew dreamy at the thought of so many cats with the suffix 'cinder' running around ThunderClan.

"Dream on," Pricklepaw said sarcastically to the daydreaming Cinderkit.

"Hmm... you know, if you'd be quiet for just a bit... I'll ask Cherrypaw to name one of her kits after you," Cinderkit said persuasively, her eyes shining at the power that she'd have. Or, that is, dreamed she'd have.

"Why am _I_ the one who has to look after you today?" Pricklepaw moaned unhappily, looking around for Rosefur.

"Because you are the most delightful cat around," Cinderkit's eyes shone with fake sincerity. She was very good at winning the hearts of all the cats around her, when she tried.

Sure enough, Pricklepaw sighed, and grumpily conceded that he wouldn't mind Cherrypaw naming one of her kits after him. "It's about time_ someone_ names one of their kits after me!"

Now that she had persuaded him to stay on for a bit, Cinderkit lost interest in her uncle. She gazed at the ground thoughtfully, and then said out loud. "D'you think my namesakes could _also_ be the same colour as me? And have the same eye colour?"

"Cinderkit, if you had your way, _every_ cat would look exactly like you. Who'd be able to tell them apart? I thought you were complaining about how dull and boring the coats of the ThunderClan cats were," Pricklepaw pointed out, faintly amused.

"Um... you _have_ got a point," Cinderkit admitted grudgingly. Then another idea occurred to her. "What if... they didn't have the same pelt as me, but they all had the same _eyes_ as me! That way, you could tell them apart, _and_ they'd all be able to be called after me for a reason."

"Hmm... d'you think StarClan would let me make my own mini-Clan? It couldn't do much harm, and I'd only take up a _teensy_ bit of space! I could be reincarnated, with all my current memories, and I could lead a Clan of cats with only green eyes! And the prey could all have green eyes...," Cinderkit wondered out loud. Her mind was already full of mice, thrush and pigeons with green eyes, not to mention the rest of the prey that would have green eyes in her own, paradise-like world.

"What next?" Pricklepaw's mew was muffled by his paw. The moment the words were out of his mouth, he regretted it. Of course there would be something next. He was immensely thankful that it was Cinderclaw's turn to watch Cinderkit tomorrow. Pricklepaw didn't know how he'd handle the kit for more than one day.

"Well... it might be a good idea not to have any leaf-bare... only new-leaf and perhaps green-leaf. That way there will always been something green, to match my eye colour," Cinderkit nodded approvingly at her own idea.

"Go back to match-making, Cinderkit," was Pricklepaw's reply to her new daydream.

"But I've _already_ match-maked all the cats," Cinderkit didn't realise that 'maked' wasn't actually a word. It didn't matter much to her. "You see... Thrushstar and Cloudfur will become mates... Forestpaw and Brindlekit will become mates, Leafpaw and Branchclaw will become mates, Rockheart and Silverpaw will become mates, Dapplepaw will become mates with Perchpaw of RiverClan..."

"Okay! So, you've already got _all_ the Clan cats match-made, have you?" Pricklepaw enquired, curious despite himself.

"Oh yes, I did that ages ago when I was bored. I've also got all the kits that each cat will have. Magpieflight will have two kits, because I couldn't think up a name for more than two. I've decided that Cherrypaw won't have five kits... she'll have _seven_! That way, she can name one after you, one after me, one after Mother, one after Father... oh... wait. Father and me share the same name. So just one kit can be called Cinderkit. Now... as I was saying, one can be named after Robinwing, one can be named after Redrose, one can be named after Moorheart...," Cinderkit rattled on unceasingly, causing her poor uncle to once again bury his nose in his paws and wonder why Rosefur had to make _him_ babysit her daughter.

"Your sister is much easier to deal with than you are," Pricklepaw frowned at his niece.

"Yes, so everyone says," Cinderkit's mouth wobbled in an unhappy way. "She's so much more popular than I am. Everyone likes her. _Nobody_ likes me! Nobody!"

"That's not true, Cinderkit," Pricklepaw said hastily, eager to return Cinderkit in a happy mood to Rosefur. Cinderkit in an unhappy mood was awful, more awful than Pricklepaw could rightly say.

"Yes it is!" Cinderkit moaned, her two front paws flailing about in a most inelegant manner. "Everyone _worships_ Cherrypaw! She's the idol of _everyone_! Nobody cares one _whisker_ about me!"

Pricklepaw decided it would be best to let his descendent sleep on it, and promptly picked up the struggling Cinderkit by her scruff. He padded away to find Rosefur, hoping that she wouldn't have wandered too far.

"Put me _down_! I'm not a kit any more!" Cinderkit's indignant howls rang out all over StarClan, much to the dismay and annoyance of all the other StarClan cats, who didn't like being disturbed by Cinderkit. Every StarClan cat knew Rosefur's daughter, and, even while they loved her, they found her tiresome to be with, and dreaded meeting her more often than they liked to admit.

"Yes you are," Pricklepaw mumbled through a mouthful of Cinderkit's fur. "You look like one, anyway. That's all that matters to me."

"ROBINWING!" Cinderkit yowled as loudly as she could. The reddish brown she-cat was, in Cinderkit's mind, her personal heroine. The one cat who could be counted on to rescue her from the other cats in whatever situation Cinderkit was stuck in.

Never one to disappoint, Robinwing heard her great-granddaughter's cries. Sighing, she materialised in front of the unhappy pair, and nodded gently to Pricklepaw to signal that he could leave.

"Thank StarClan for that!" Cinderkit said, happy again, as she saw her uncle padding off. "Now... d'you wanna hear which cats are gonna be mates with which cats?"

**I hope that wasn't too over the top for you guys. Yes, Cinderkit _is_ a control freak. Yes, she _does_ get on the nerves of every cat around her. Yes, she _is_ loved by almost every cat, too, despite being extremely annoying. Have any of you ever met that kind of person? You know, the kind who is a pain in the neck, but you love him/her all the same? I have. **

**Three updates in one day... pretty good. **

**R&R!**


	25. Chapter 24: Blue Skies Ahead

**=drum roll= Chapter 24! This one _should_ have a lot more point in it than the last one, which was written mainly for my amusement... hehe... =embarrassed look=. **

**So... things start to wrap up in this chapter... etc. You get the idea.**

**And the chapter name... comes from Phil Collins's song, read more about it in the Author's Note at the very end of the chapter.**

Blue Skies Ahead

The sunlight streamed into the companions' den, and Cherrypaw wearily opened her eyes. Five days after the battle and she was _still_ feeling unusually tired. Troutpaw had been injured quite fatally, but was recovering well. In fact, he had almost fully recovered. He certainly seemed to be in a better mood than Cherrypaw was in. Then again, Cherrypaw was often in a not-so-good mood nowadays.

_I'm a real grump now_, Cherrypaw thought to herself disappointedly. Why couldn't she have been born with an optimistic personality like Silverpaw and Cinderkit? Life would have been considerably easier if she had been gifted with a virtue like that. _Stop complaining! Be happy!_

"Cherrypaw? May I speak with you for a second?" Lizardpaw poked his head in the den, his expression serious. Her heart leapt into her mouth. Was something wrong?

"Sure," Cherrypaw mumbled, hastily exiting the den and following Lizardpaw to a corner of the camp. She had grown amazingly accustomed to the Others's camp. ThunderClan's camp seemed like a distant memory to her, although it couldn't have been that long ago since she was last in it.

"Cherrypaw, we're going to leave today. Troutpaw is feeling well, and Rain says that he can make the journey without any trouble," Lizardpaw mewed quietly, sorrow in his eyes. Rain was the unofficial 'medicine cat' of the Others, and was almost as good as Gentlebreeze at healing.

"Why so sad?" Cherrypaw enquired in an equally quiet voice. She didn't know why she was whispering, but she was. "Is something wrong?"

"No... it's just that... I feel like I want to stay."

Cherrypaw blanched at that, her mind whirling suddenly. Stay? He wanted to _stay_? But... what about Magpieflight? She'd be heart-broken!

"What... what about Magpieflight?" Cherrypaw said tentatively, unsure of whether that was the best thing to say.

"I know... but what if she doesn't want me there any more? No, don't answer that. Don't worry, I'm not going to stay. Budrose has told me that that's forbidden. There are two other cats who are going to come with us, though," Lizardpaw informed her, his voice even lower than it had been.

"Who... who are they?" Cherrypaw asked in amazement and... delight. It shocked her that she would be so happy about it, but there was nothing she could do to change her feelings.

"Claw and Squirrel," as he said the latter's name his eyes shone with happiness that even Cherrypaw couldn't understand. She was delighted that Claw, one of the few cats who had been remotely nice to her, was going. But Squirrel? Why, it was almost as if... but no. She had to be wrong.

"Does Brownpaw want them to go? I thought Claw was one of her best followers," Cherrypaw asked, slightly concerned. If Brownpaw was against Claw going, then he couldn't go. But Lizardpaw had said that Claw _was_ going... had Brownpaw softened up?

"He is, but she can't keep him here if he doesn't want to stay. Brownpaw's not stupid, and Budrose has told her that both Claw and Squirrel _can_ go, because they were born here. They didn't end up here because of some crime they themselves committed, but rather because of a crime that their _parents_ committed," Lizardpaw explained patiently, and Cherrypaw's confused expression cleared.

"Oh... so when are we setting out?" Cherrypaw felt an odd mixture of excitement and sadness at the thought of her home. Would she be welcome there still? Or would they refuse to allow her back into the Clan?

"Soon. You might want to get something to eat... after all, we don't know where we'll spend the night, do we?" Lizardpaw suggested as he padded off towards the fresh-kill pile himself.

Cherrypaw felt her stomach rumble at the thought of eating some prey, and reluctantly gave in. There was no point in starving herself, and Lizardpaw was right. She _would_ need to get something in her belly before they went.

* * *

"Goodbye Claw, Squirrel," Brownpaw said stiffly, nodding briefly to the two cats mentioned. Cherrypaw could see a slight reluctance in the brown she-cat's eyes as her gaze fell on Claw. Truthfully, Cherrypaw couldn't blame the she-cat. Claw was a valuable member of the Others, and she couldn't fathom why he had decided to leave his home. _She_ wouldn't have done it too willingly. Even if 'home' was the Place of the Exiled.

"Goodbye Brownpaw!" Silverpaw squeaked happily. At least there was one member of the group who didn't seem to have any problem with leaving the Others.

They were at the edge of the forest that signaled the start of the Place of the Exiled. Cherrypaw's eyes feasted on the site of huge open spaces, and a deep blue sky ahead. It was really an unusually lovely day. At least, it seemed unusual to Cherrypaw because she hadn't seen a blue sky since she had entered the Place of the Exiled.

"Silverpaw, Cherrypaw, Gingerpaw, Branchclaw, Troutpaw, Sunstream... and Lizardpaw," Brownpaw acknowledged each cat with another stiff nod, and then flicked her tail at them. The casual dismissal was extremely unusual for a cat with Brownpaw's personality, and Cherrypaw wondered whether Brownpaw really and truly had mellowed a bit.

And then they left the Place of the Exiled. Everyone except Lizardpaw, Claw and Squirrel were happy. Even Cherrypaw felt the urge to laugh and run with delight. It seemed that the adventure was over. Everything was back to normal. Or, _almost_ everything. For the first time in days, Cherrypaw wondered how much had changed since she had left ThunderClan. Were there any new warriors? What about apprentices? No... Daisyflight's kits were only about two moons old at the most. But were there any more _kits_? Surely not! Unless... perhaps one of the cats was expecting kits right now. She wondered who it could possibly be, and found her paws itching to run and get home as soon as she could.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way! New friends and new places to see! With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way! And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be!" Silverpaw started singing, causing Cherrypaw to wince. Gingerpaw shot the silver she-cat a threatening glare that clearly said: 'If you don't shut up, I'll _make_ you shut up'.

_Well... _some_ things haven't changed that much_, Cherrypaw thought, looking at her cousin and friend as they once again launched into an argument. _I knew the peace wouldn't last long with those two_.

"Do you think that Perchpaw and Lillypaw have been made warriors yet?" Troutpaw asked excitedly, his eyes shining. "They must be nearly ready! They're only a few moons younger than me. Let me see... they must be about... eleven moons or maybe a bit more. How times _flies_!"

Cherrypaw heard Squirrel snort at the RiverClan tom's enthusiasm, and she studied the reddish brown she-cat carefully. She wondered what ThunderClan would think of the companions bringing home two rogue cats from a mysterious place nobody had ever heard of. She could just imagine Rockpaw gossiping away to the other apprentices about it. Rock_paw_? He would be about the right age for a warrior now. Perhaps he was already one. Cherrypaw wondered what his warrior name was.

"What is your home like?" Squirrel asked Branchclaw curiously. "And which of your... _Clans_ will we be joining?"

"Now _that's_ an interesting question. Which Clan would let you join? Which Clan do you _want_ to join?" Branchclaw answered with questions of his own, his eyes studying the reddish brown she-cat carefully, as if assessing how well she'd fit into each of the four Clans.

"Well... tell me about the four Clans," was Squirrel's simple reply.

"RiverClan cats are clever and strong and are _amazing_ swimmers," Troutpaw promptly said, his eyes shining seriously. "And RiverClan is the _best_ Clan. Ow!"

Gingerpaw glared at the tom she had just prodded. "No. He's wrong. Don't listen to him. ShadowClan is the best Clan. ShadowClan is wily and proud, and cunning and smart and _very_ organized. Unlike _some_ Clans around here."

"No, she's also wrong." Sunstream cut in, laughing. Whereas Troutpaw and Gingerpaw had been deadly serious about whose Clan was the best, Sunstream thought it was all a good joke. "WindClan is the best. WindClan cats are swift and loyal, and they are most definitely the easiest going out of all the Clans. You wouldn't want to end up in ShadowClan if your life depended on it."

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Gingerpaw gaped at the WindClan she-cat angrily.

"Actually, _all_ three of you are wrong. ThunderClan is the best. We're fierce and brave, and extremely loyal, too," Silverpaw cut in smoothly, looking triumphantly at Gingerpaw, who simply glared indignantly at the silver she-cat.

"Um...," Squirrel looked undecided, as well she might. The four Clans all sounded rather... _good_. And Squirrel didn't mean good in a nice way. Squirrel had been brought up to believe all cats that could have the word 'good' applied to them were weaklings. To Squirrel, ShadowClan sounded like the best Clan.

"I like ShadowClan," Squirrel said finally, purring slightly when Gingerpaw gave her a look of delight. Lizardpaw, however, looked marginally disappointed. _Why?_ Cherrypaw thought to herself, puzzled.

"What about you, Claw?" Silverpaw asked eagerly, shooting a 'ThunderClan-will-get-the-better-cat' look at her rival, Gingerpaw.

"Well... I guess ThunderClan," Claw shrugged, managing to look so indifferent that Silverpaw gave a disappointed groan at his lack of enthusiasm.

"Well, now that that's settled... shall we pick up the pace? We're practically going the same pace as a _snail_! Look! That snail has been there all this time, and it's _beating_ us!" Troutpaw pointed his paw in the direction of snail who was, indeed, going faster than them. Cherrypaw chuckled, and began 'picking up the pace'.

The journey home had really begun.

**Um... was that okay? . I had a teensy bit of trouble with that chapter. I know, my chapters are _really_ short now, but I canna help it! They choose the length they want to be, and there's nothing I can do about it!**

**Now... those lines that Silverpaw was singing... they're from Phil Collins's 'On My Way'. I know that the cats have never even _heard_ of that song, but I felt that it was appropriate. In fact, and I've only done this once before, that's actually the song I'd choose to go with this chapter. I'm sorry if you don't like the song, but it's one of my all time _favourites_, so I had to!**

**R&R!**


	26. Chapter 25: Home

**Thank you to World of Make Believe ( forgot to thank you for reviewing in the last chapter ) and Cyri's Alter Ego for reviewing! Also, another thanks to World of Make Believe for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Yeah, like CAE said... could be problems ahead for Magpieflight... unless... =cackles= but you'll find out soon enough.**

**Okay people, this chapter should be the penultimate one. ( If you don't know what 'penultimate' means... it means second last ). This chapter will be told partially from Cherrypaw's POV and partially from Magpieflight's POV.**

Home

"Oh my StarClan! I can see it! I can _see_ the ThunderClan camp!" Silverpaw squealed with an extraordinary amount of excitement. The cats destined for ThunderClan had parted ways with the others, of course. Squirrel had stayed true to ShadowClan, and had loyally followed Gingerpaw into ShadowClan's stinking territory.

Cherrypaw's heart leapt with excitement as she approached the camp entrance/exit. She had been waiting for this moment for days. The journey back had been much shorter because they knew which routes were safest to take, and it had only been three days since they had left the Place of the Exiled. It felt like moons to Cherrypaw, though.

"Who's there?" a suspicious voice called out to them. A dark grey tom stepped out of the camp, and his eyes widened in surprise as he realised who they were. Cherrypaw felt a faint twinge of amusement as the tom's jaws literally dropped open for a brief second, and then he snapped them shut again.

"Rockpaw!" Silverpaw exclaimed, rushing towards the tom and bowling him over. "Oh my goodness, I can't _wait_ to tell you what happened to us!"

"My name is Rock_heart_," Rockheart corrected the she-cat, his voice coloured with a strange mixture of pride and sadness. Cherrypaw's ears pricked forward in curiosity. Sadness? Then her heat stopped beating. How many cats had died since she was last here?

"Oh! You're a _warrior_? No kidding!" Silverpaw glared at the tom, disgruntled. "You were supposed to wait for me! You _promised_!"

"Did not. Who is that cat?" Rockheart looked at Claw, his fur bristling.

"Oh, he's Claw," Silverpaw said dismissively. "What's the latest ThunderClan news?"

"Rockheart? Do I hear voices out there? Who're you talking to?" another achingly familiar voice asked. Cherrypaw glanced down at the camp entrance in nervously as a tortoiseshell she-cat padded up towards them. The tortoiseshell she-cat froze when she saw who Rockheart was talking to. Then Cherrypaw let out a sigh of relief when she realised that the she-cat was not Magpieflight, but Magpieflight's identical sister, Dovesky. For some reason, Cherrypaw wasn't willing to meet her former best friend quite so soon.

"Come inside! What are you four standing out here for? Who's he?" Dovesky glared suspiciously at Claw, her eyes narrowing suddenly. Cherrypaw felt the oddest chill run down her spine. She almost felt like an intruder.

"Claw. He wants to join ThunderClan. Oh, _please_ let him! He's an excellent warrior, and will be a _very_ valuable addition to our Clan," Silverpaw said sincerely, and Dovesky relaxed slightly, although she still looked at Claw warily.

"Very well then. Branchclaw, why don't you go to Thrushstar with this... _Claw_ and ask him if the tom is allowed to join?" Dovesky started in an authoritative voice, quite unlike the Dovesky Cherrypaw had once known. _How much have all the cats here changed?_ Cherrypaw thought with a hint of despair.

"Okay, _master_," Branchclaw looked scornfully at Dovesky, but nevertheless beckoned with his tail for Claw to follow him into the camp. The two toms hastily trotted towards the leader's den, leaving the rest of the cats to stand awkwardly outside the camp for another few seconds.

"Well... let's go inside," Rockheart suggested, flicking his tail towards the camp. "I'm on watch duty, but Dovesky will gladly reintroduce you to the rest of the Clan, won't you?"

Dovesky glared at him, giving him an 'I'm-older-than-you-so-you'd-better-watch-it' expression before leading the three remaining cats into the ThunderClan camp. Cherrypaw was rather surprised to see how little the ThunderClan camp itself had changed. For some reason, she had thought there might be a dramatic change to the camp, but there really wasn't. It was almost as if not a day had passed since she was last here.

"Um... Dovesky... where's Blueclaw?" Lizardpaw asked suddenly, his eyes surveying the camp with a worried expression. Cherrypaw saw Dovesky bow her head, and the red she-cat's heart leapt with fear.

"He joined StarClan...," Dovesky murmured quietly, and then lifted her head to gaze at the three cats. "We thought you had joined StarClan as well. Do you have any _idea_ what you put Magpieflight through, Lizardpaw?"

Cherrypaw saw Lizardpaw flinch at the anger in Dovesky's voice. Dovesky had always been protective of her sister, and Cherrypaw knew from experience that anyone who had offended Magpieflight was immediately in Dovesky's top ten 'Cats That Need To Be Rid Of' list. Magpieflight viewed Dovesky as rather _too_ overprotective, that much Cherrypaw knew, but Magpieflight was extremely protective of Dovesky, when the need arose.

"You don't understand, Dovesky. I didn't have much choice in the matter," Lizardpaw retorted quietly, pain in his voice. Lizardpaw's eyes were on his paws, and he looked ashamed of himself, despite his words.

"Yes you did! You _always_ have a choice! I thought you two loved each other! Magpieflight was loyal to you, you know perfectly well that she would _never_ have left _you_. You don't deserve her, you filthy piece of fox dung!" Dovesky hissed in outrage at Lizardpaw's reply, causing the tom to glare at her. Taking a deep breath, Dovesky continued in a calmer voice. "You're a fool if you think she'll take you back after what you did to her."

* * *

Magpieflight's heart stopped when she saw the three cats standing in the clearing with her sister yelling curses at one of them. Three cats she never thought she'd see again. She had briefly seen Branchclaw and an unknown tom go into Thrushstar's den, but hadn't had the time to question Branchclaw about it. When she had seen the warrior, she had hardly dared to hope that the other three would have returned with him. More specifically, the other _one_.

It seemed that Stoneblaze's rumours were true, and she couldn't remember ever feeling as thankful towards something as she was now. Before, she had always scorned rumours, called them horrid things that poisoned the mind and caused nothing but trouble. She didn't exactly take back those words, but she had to admit that, sometimes, rumours weren't _just_ rumours. They were true. Magpieflight made a mental note to thank Stoneblaze when she could find the time.

Yet, as she looked at Lizardpaw, suspicion rose like bile in her throat. Had he fallen in love with another cat? Had he fallen in love perhaps with Cherrypaw? The more she thought about the latter possibility, the more she doubted it was true. Cherrypaw and Lizardpaw just didn't seem... _right_. Neither did Lizardpaw and Silverpaw. But it was possible that there was now _another_ she-cat that Lizardpaw liked, and that hurt Magpieflight more than words could say.

"Magpieflight?" Lizardpaw was padding towards her, his eyes worried. She knew what he was worried about. He thought that she wouldn't love him any more. What a fool he was! Love wasn't something you could control, and, even as she wished that she hadn't fallen in love with him, Magpieflight knew her answer to the question he would almost certainly ask her.

"Magpieflight... I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't have a choice... I... will you forgive me?" Lizardpaw asked quietly, looking at her with searching eyes. Magpieflight's heart thudded against her chest when she saw how pained he looked. She never had been able to see him look hurt without feeling as if _she_ was the one who was hurt.

"Of course I do, mouse brain. I love you, nothing will change that," Magpieflight meowed softly, so softly that Lizardpaw had to strain his ears to hear her reply. The moment the words were out of her mouth, she saw Lizardpaw look at her in disbelief and astonishment, both of which rapidly turned to relief and... something that Magpieflight had trouble identifying. It was a feeling that she had felt once or twice herself. No, more than that. She had felt it so many times over the past moon that it was almost as familiar as her own breathing. Yet she couldn't identify it, and it was gone almost before she really had a chance to even _guess_ at it. The moment it was gone, it was replaced with yet another emotion. Magpieflight couldn't name this one, either. This emotion was something that Magpieflight had only felt twice in her entire life. Her mind was too muddled with all the different emotions that _she_ was feeling, though, to take too much notice of what _he_ was feeling.

"You're too good," Lizardpaw protested, but his voice was lighter now. More mocking.

"Lizardpaw, where have you been this past moon? I've missed you so much!" Magpieflight exclaimed, meaning every word of it. Oh, she most certainly meant every word. More than she had ever meant any words in her life.

"Silverpaw will be more than happy to tell you that. She's been already asking us all about how she should tell it to the rest of ThunderClan. Troutpaw and Gingerpaw spent half the journey back telling her to shut up," Lizardpaw said amiably, the previous tension gone like it had never been present.

"Troutpaw? Gingerpaw?" Magpieflight asked, confused. Troutpaw and Gingerpaw... was either of them a she-cat? _StarClan help me! Stop being so _jealous_ of all the other she-cats, Magpieflight. He's done nothing to make you think that he doesn't love you._

_Yes, he has. He didn't say 'I love you' back. It was almost as if he'd _forgotten_, _a broken little voice inside her, the very words making Magpieflight's eyes feel hot and full. She hastily blinked back the tears, and reprimanded herself for being so stupid as to get upset over such tiny words.

"Oh, Troutpaw's from RiverClan. He's actually very nice. He helped to keep us all in good spirits. And Gingerpaw is... well... Silverpaw's archenemy," Lizardpaw said helpfully, purring at Magpieflight's confusion. He didn't notice the lone tear that had managed to escape from Magpieflight's eye.

"Oh... I guess you had a good time, then," Magpieflight said half-heartedly. All she wanted now was to be reassured by Lizardpaw himself that he still loved her. That a moon apart couldn't _really_ do so much damage as she feared it might have. Yet Lizardpaw, like most toms, was ignorant of the fact that she wasn't interested in what he had done, and talked cheerily about his 'adventures'. Magpieflight only listened dully, barely taking in a word he had said.

"Magpieflight!" the exclamation came from behind her, and Magpieflight nearly jumped with surprise. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with a red she-cat whose brown eyes were examining her in part concern, part uncertainty.

"Cherrypaw! Listen... I... um... I'm _really_ sorry for everything I did to you. I meant none of it. I was being a stupid, stuck-up, horrid little mouse-brain," the words tumbled out of Magpieflight's mouth before she could stop herself. She so desperately wanted Cherrypaw to forgive and forget the incident that had made Cherrypaw run away the first time. In fact, Magpieflight was so intent on apologising to her former best friend that she entirely forgot about Lizardpaw. Not something that had happened in a long while.

"What? What _are_ you talking abo- oh... _oh_... I forgave you ages ago, you silly furball. Friends again?" Cherrypaw said rapidly, looking happier than Magpieflight had ever seen her. What had caused Cherrypaw to behave in such an excited and enraptured manner? Something that had happened on the journey? Magpieflight's eyes darted to Lizardpaw, but, once again, she realised that it wasn't _him_.

"Definitely. Now, who was that cat that Branchclaw was... _escorting_ to Thrushstar's den?" Magpieflight asked, although she had already been told the answer by Lizardpaw whilst he was rambling. The reason she had asked was to see Cherrypaw's reaction. _Something_ was different about her friend, and she was determined to find out what.

"Oh, he's Claw," Cherrypaw shrugged in an attempt to look dismissive. "Squirrel came, too, but she joined ShadowClan... or... she _wanted_ to join ShadowClan. I don't know if Shadestar let her join."

At the sound of the name 'Squirrel', Magpieflight saw Lizardpaw's head jerk up. His eyes shone interestedly as Cherrypaw told Magpieflight all about the two cats who had decided to leave the place they had been born in. Magpieflight had a sinking feeling that she knew what was wrong with both of the cats, much as she tried to shove it away.

* * *

When Magpieflight curled up in the warriors' den that night, she finally allowed herself to think about the way Lizardpaw and Cherrypaw had reacted to those two names. And she also allowed herself to wonder at the two emotions she had seen in Lizardpaw's eyes, but hadn't been able to name.

Then, as if she had been struck by lightning, Magpieflight found the name for both emotions. The first one was guilt, and she knew why he was feeling guilty. Lizardpaw may have tried to hide it from her, but Magpieflight knew him far too well. He felt guilty because the second emotion wasn't one that was directed at her. Oh no. She was intelligent enough to realise that. The second emotion was one that he felt towards another cat, one that must have been on his mind as he was looking at her. Magpieflight hardly dared to think the word that had once sounded like the most beautiful word in the world. What Lizardpaw felt for this other cat was...

Love.

**Poor Maggie... I mean, Magpieflight. She's having a rough time. =shakes fist at Lizardpaw=. The chapters/sections I do in Magpieflight's POV are always more serious, aren't they? Probably because Magpieflight is a more serious _character_ than the rest of them. She's a more thoughtful character, in a way. Realistic, yes. But stupid, no. **

**Well... the next chapter will be just a little one that I felt like doing because I'm in the sort of cheerful mood I'm in. I only write Magpieflight's sections when I'm in a more serious mood... which I've just been lifted out of. **

**Can any of you guess who the next chapter's point of view will be in? ( does that sentence make sense? Doesn't look right... )**

**R&R**


	27. Chapter 26: Meddlesome Cinderkit

Meddlesome Cinderkit

"CINDERKIT! COME HERE _NOW_!" Rosefur roared at her daughter, angrier than she had been for many moons.

"Yes, Mother?" the small dark tabby she-cat walked slowly towards her mother, her paws dragging.

"What is the meaning of _this_?" Rosefur demanded roughly, flicking her tail in the direction of the now sleeping Magpieflight. She glared at her daughter, wishing heartily that Cinderkit hadn't done what Rosefur suspected she'd done.

"Um... what's the meaning of what?" Cinderkit feigned innocence, her dark green eyes huge as she looked up at the dark red she-cat.

"_This_, and you know perfectly well what I mean, Little Miss Innocent," Rosefur frowned in an extremely disapproving way at her daughter, her yellow eyes still glowing with anger. "I know you did this. _Why_? Cinderkit, why did you have to do this?"

"Because I don't like _him_, and he doesn't deserve _her_," Cinderkit muttered, looking at her paws sullenly. It had seemed like a brilliant idea to her: Make Lizardpaw fall in love with another she-cat so that Magpieflight was free to love Stoneblaze. In Cinderkit's cunning little mind, the plan had only a few, nonexistant kinks in it. Ones that could easily be smoothed over. Of course, she couldn't _make_ Lizardpaw fall in love with another she-cat, but she could _influence_ him to do so. It hadn't been hard; he already liked the reddish brown she-cat enough for it to be quite easy, in fact.

"That doesn't matter, Cinderkit. How many times, in StarClan's name, have I told you _not_ to meddle with the lives of other cats? It gets you _nowhere_, and causes far too many broken hearts for it to be worth it," Rosefur sighed, more disappointed in her daughter than she was angry with her.

"Look on the bright side... I'm one step further to achieving my goal!" Cinderkit put in brightly, ignoring her mother's scowl.

"What _goal_ is this?" Rosefur asked icily, thoroughly disapproving of any 'goal' that Cinderkit might have in mind.

"World domination," Cinderkit said proudly, her head held high and her dark green eyes shining at the very thought of all the power she'd have.

"How does wreaking a relationship between two cats count as _world domination_?" Rosefur asked, curious despite herself to understand the mysterious thing that was Cinderkit's mind.

"Oh... well that probably was uncalled for... but it shows that I can make cats do what I want. Anyway, it didn't _wreak_ their relationship entirely. They'll still be friends. I want Magpieflight to end up with Stoneblaze, y'see, and they'll have two black kits. Black is _such_ a rare colour in ThunderClan that it'll be refreshing to see it," Cinderkit said, nodding approvingly at her own plan. Then again, Cinderkit nearly always nodded approvingly at her own plans.

"You _know_ that world domination doesn't come easily, Cinderkit. Even Robinwing doesn't have world domination," Rosefur reasoned with her stubborn daughter.

"_Wrong_. Robinwing _could_ have it if she wanted to have it. But she's too wise to stoop to such things. I, on the other hand, am treading that little thin line between being too _naive_ to want world domination, and being too _wise_ to want it," Cinderkit explained with such sincerity that it was clear she believed every word she was saying.

"Words of wisdom, young one," Rosefur sighed, and gazed down at the unhappy Magpieflight, sympathising with the young tortoiseshell she-cat. Rosefur herself had been through similar things, and heartbreak was never something that you forgot, no matter how long ago it had happened to you.

"Mother... I... I _am_ sorry that I did it... because I don't want Magpieflight to be upset. But she and Lizardpaw just weren't suited to each other. I'm sorry... but I can't repare the damage I've done, can I?" Cinderkit said with uncharacteristic tentativeness.

Rosefur purred at her daughter's apology, and then whispered. "I know you didn't mean it, Cinderkit, but next time it might be worthwhile to consult me before you cause more heartbreak."

There was a long pause as both cats watched the sleeping Magpieflight, and listened to the she-cat's steady breaths. Then, quite abruptly, Cinderkit said, "Say, d'you think that I could be reincarnated as an extremely successful and talented cat?"

**Short chapter, abrupt ending... but I wanted to show you guys that Cinderkit does have a repentent side. She's not the sort of cat to mope around for long, but she _does_ regret some things that she does, even though she might only partially regret it.**

**Hope this was okay for my readers and reviewers.**

**Next up will be the epilogue, if everything goes as planned!**

**R&R!**


	28. Epilogue

**Thank you so much to Cyri's Alter Ego, Crystalrose368 & World of Make Believe for reviewing!**

**Okay... this is this epilogue. Yes, the _epilogue_! I never _ever_ thought I'd finish this story, but I am going to... as this epilogue will show you. **

**So, this epilogue is dedicated to all the people who reviewed my story. The reviews seriously helped me when I thought 'StarClan, how will I go on?', and comforted me whenever I felt down. **

**So, with that... I give you the epilogue! **

Epilogue

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Thrushstar bellowed, and Cherrypaw felt a prickle of excitement. She had waited for this day since the moment she knew what a warrior ceremony was. This had been her ultimate goal in life, not so very long ago. Now, she had other goals. Much deeper and more meaningful goals. But this was still a milestone in her life that she was partly willing, partly sad to pass. Never again would she be the innocent apprentice, unaware of most of the goings on in the world. Never again would she be able boast that she hadn't killed _one_ cat, if that was anything to talk about in the beginning. Never again would she be such a shallow creature. No. She had learned and seen too much for her to be able to turn back.

The cats rapidly began to seat themselves below Highledge, all of them eagerly gazing up at their leader. Out of the corner of her eye, Cherrypaw could see Silverpaw bouncing up and down excitedly, and Lizardpaw grooming himself in an attempt to remain calm.

"Tigerstripe, Pigeonfeather,Yellowfire do you believe that your apprentices are ready to become warriors?" Thrushstar began, and Cherrypaw could feel confusion radiating off both Lizardpaw and Silverpaw. Not to mention herself. She had never heard a warrior ceremony performed like this before.

"Yes," both Pigeonfeather and Tigerstripe said instantly, without a trace of doubt in either their voices or their faces.

"Of course he is!" Yellowfire laughed despite the seriousness of the situation.

Thrushstar nodded, and then turned to face the rest of his Clan, "I, Thrushstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them as warriors to you in their turn. Cherrypaw, Lizardpaw, Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Cherrypaw wondered, very briefly, what would happen if she said 'No'. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she raised her chin and said clearly. "Yes, I do."

"I do," Silverpaw's voice came out as a squeak on the first word, but deepened on the second.

"I do," Lizardpaw's voice was as clear as Cherrypaw's, but had a firmness that her's didn't.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Cherrypaw, from now on you will be known as Cherryheart. StarClan honours your loyalty and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Lizardpaw, you will now be known as Lizardtail. StarClan honours your bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Silverpaw, from now on you shall be known as Silverfrost. StarClan honours your enthusiasm and energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Thrushstar's voice was loud in the silent clearing. The moment the last words had left his mouth, the silence broke like a snapped twig, and a roar came from the surrounding cats.

"Cherryheart! Lizardtail! Silverfrost! Cherryheart! Lizardtail! Silverfrost!" the surrounding cats chanted with all the enthusiasm that one could possibly imagine. Cherryheart felt faintly embarrassed at the sudden attention everyone was giving the newly made warriors.

Leafpaw trotted up to Cherryheart and said warmly, "Congratulations, Cherryheart, Silverfrost and Lizardtail. Sheesh, I'm gonna have a bit of trouble remembering all them new names!"

"You all deserve it so much!" Dapplepaw said honestly, her gentle blue eyes sparkling with genuine admiration. Cherryheart felt that the admiration was a bit misplaced on her part, but was grateful that the tortoiseshell she-cat seemed to genuinely mean her words.

"Well done, Lizardtail," Forestpaw pointedly ignored both she-cats, although Cherryheart saw him nod at both herself and Silverfrost in a friendly way.

"Very good, all three of you," Silverleaf, Silverfrost's grandmother, said proudly, gazing at all three of them as if each was her grandchild.

The cats slowly swarmed away from the three newly made warriors, and left them to sit vigil for the night. Cherryheart didn't miss Magpieflight's sorrowful look at Lizardtail, and wondered what was wrong. Perhaps they had had a minor falling out? Who knew what had happened?

"Good luck with your vigils!" Branchclaw said cheerily to them as he passed by, knowing perfectly well that they couldn't answer him because of what sitting vigil entailed.

As the camp settled down for the night, Cherryheart felt a warm, contented feeling spread through her. She was safe, and didn't have to worry constantly about what some brown she-cat would do to her companions. It seemed like only yesterday that she had been fretting over how she looked for her apprentice ceremony. Now she was worried about much bigger things. Such as how her friends were in the other Clans, and whether Squirrel had been accepted into ShadowClan. But all those worries could be stored away somewhere in a far corner of her mind until the next day. Today, she was going to just sit and enjoy life. Enjoy life for what it really was worth, for she'd never get another moment like this.

**Cheesy ending... but I hope that was okay! And don't give me a hard time with the warrior names. I had trouble enough selecting them. Please R&R! And, if you have any unanswered questions about my story, feel free to PM me or ask the question in a review. I'll answer it so long as it isn't a deliberately rude question. :)**

**Oh, and I've decided not to stick up the allegiances for the other Clans. I know I once said I would, but I think it's better the way it is, because you learn about all the different cats from the different Clans separately, if you get what I mean?**

**Once again, thank you to all those people out there who have reviewed and read my story!**

**This is Fioralba over and out,**

**~~Fioralba~~**


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